Editor
MYANMAR: Kuki groups from Manipur have reportedly become entangled in the ongoing civil war in neighboring Myanmar. Indian security experts monitoring the situation have reported a fierce gunbattle between the Myanmar Army and the combined forces of the People's Defence Force (PDF) and the Kuki National Army (Burma), located approximately 1.5 km east of border post number 72 near the town of Moreh in Manipur.
The PDF serves as the armed wing of the pro-democracy National Unity Government in Myanmar. The clash erupted at 3:30 a.m. on June 15, close to the 1st battalion of the PDF, as relayed in a message received by Indian security forces. Additionally, two fighter jets from Myanmar dropped four bombs about 2.5 km east of Moreh at 8 a.m. on the same day, causing visible smoke and sound on the Indian side of the border.
Previous instances of aerial bombardment by the Myanmar Army near the India-Myanmar border occurred on April 21 and 27, targeting Camp Victoria near Moreh, which is believed to be a hideout for the Chin National Army. The Kuki National Army (KNA) was among the 25 extremist groups of the Kuki-Zomi tribes that had previously agreed to a suspension of operations (SoO) in Manipur. However, in March, the Manipur government withdrew from the SoO agreement with the KNA and the Zomi Revolutionary Army.
The Kuki, Zomi, and Chin communities share ethnic ties. The Manipur government and Meitei organizations in the Imphal Valley have held the Kuki-Zomi extremist groups responsible for recent ethnic clashes that have claimed over 120 lives since May 3. However, the Kuki-Zomi groups deny these allegations, asserting that the tribal communities have been targeted for systematic ethnic cleansing.
Another conflict is occurring in Myanmar's Sagaing region, north of the zone where the Myanmar Army is engaged with the PDF-KNA (Burma) combine. According to reports from Naga-inhabited areas across Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, members of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang-Yung Aung) have been locked in a fratricidal battle for nearly two weeks.
Yung Aung, originally from Manipur, took over the Khaplang faction of the NSCN after the death of its chief, Shangwang Shangyung Khaplang, in June 2017. The NSCN (K-YA) has split into two groups, with one operating from the outfit's general headquarters near Loiye village and the other based in its central headquarters near Nyanching village. On June 5 and 13, the two groups exchanged gunfire. Several Naga organizations, including the Eastern Naga Students' Association, have warned of non-cooperation if the groups do not exercise restraint, expressing their frustration with the ongoing infighting.
These conflicts highlight the complexities of the region, where various ethnic groups are embroiled in armed struggles for their respective causes and interests in Myanmar and its neighboring areas in India.