Thadou Inpi Manipur Condemns Kuki SoO Groups for Violating Peace Agreement with Escalating Violence

The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) has strongly condemned the recent surge in terror activities by Kuki Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups, accusing them of violating the peace agreement through acts of violence, extortion, and intimidation across Manipur.

TIM alleges that these groups, operating with impunity, are advancing a Kuki supremacist ideology that threatens the safety and rights of Manipur’s citizens, particularly the Thadou community.

On September 8 in Ukhrul District, armed Kuki militants from the Kuki National Organisation (KNO)’s KLA/KNO reportedly conducted illegal frisking and fired shots, terrorizing bus passengers on the Sanakeithel-Imphal road, acting under the orders of Jangboi Kipgen, Chairman of the Unified Command of SoO and non-SoO groups in Kangpokpi district.

Similarly, on September 5 in Churachandpur District, KNO’s KNF (MC) cadres brutally assaulted Henkhopao Haokip, the chief of Joujangtek village, in an unprovoked attack. On September 7 in Motbung Thadou village, households were coerced into paying Rs. 200 each under threat of penalties, a collection reportedly organized by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a proxy of Kuki militant groups, following an announcement by Lamkholen Singsit.

Just hours after the SoO agreement was extended on September 4 in New Delhi, KNF cadres allegedly fired without provocation in Kangpokpi’s Khengjang area, causing widespread panic, an act TIM claims was directed by KNF’s home secretary Jangboi Kipgen, showing blatant disregard for the renewed accord.

TIM argues that the SoO agreement has empowered these groups to perpetrate violence and criminal activities, with the groups routinely dismissing their illegal acts or disowning involved cadres to evade accountability.

This pattern was evident in the brutal murder of Thadou leader Nehkam Jomhao, a peace advocate and Chairman of the Thadou Literature Society, Assam, on August 30, allegedly killed and mutilated by Kuki SoO militants, including members of the Manipur-based KRA/KNO and Assam-based KRA, with no leaders held accountable.

TIM decries the silence from Kuki militant, civil, and church groups, likening their stance to Hamas in Gaza and accusing them of glorifying violence. The organization claims the Thadou community is the primary victim of a systematic campaign of ethnic and cultural genocide driven by Kuki supremacist motives.

Criticizing the government’s inaction, TIM argues that allowing militant groups to operate freely as long as they do not target the state is a flawed policy that strips civilians of their freedom.

“It is a tragedy that such lawlessness persists in a country striving to be a global superpower,” said Manggou Thadou, Joint General Secretary of TIM.

The organization has called on the people of Manipur and India to unite against this terrorism and urged the Government of India and the Manipur state government to take immediate action to protect citizens, outlaw law-breaking militant groups, and restore order, warning that the current approach risks prolonging instability in the region.

Signpost NewsDesk

Signpost News is an Imphal-based media house that focuses on delivering news and views from Northeast India and beyond.