Churachandpur, May 13: Kuki Liberation Army-Letkholun (KLA-L) has issued a strong statement opposing the proposed visit of Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas scheduled for May 15.
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Members of a Kuki armed group seen in an undated photograph from a conflict-affected area in Manipur. (File Photo) |
In a press release issued by its Department of Information and Publicity on May 13, the organisation described the proposed visit as unacceptable and warned against any attempt by the Chief Minister to enter what it termed “Kuki-Zo ancestral lands.”
The statement claimed that since the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur on May 3, 2023, the separation between the Meitei-dominated valley and Kuki-Zo areas had become “absolute,” alleging that there was no longer a shared political or social geography between the two communities.
KLA-L further alleged that any attempt by the Chief Minister to enter Kuki-Zo areas would amount to crossing “a boundary between two distinct entities” and warned that such movement should adhere to what it described as “national protocols governing visits between two separate lands.”
The group also referred to the “buffer zones” established by the Government of India in conflict-affected areas, stating that any attempt to breach those zones would be viewed as a provocation. It warned that the organisation would not remain a “silent spectator” if such a move took place.
In the statement, KLA-L called for what it termed “total mobilisation” of Kuki-Zo citizens to resist the proposed visit and asserted that any unrest or confrontation arising from the visit would be the responsibility of the Chief Minister and the Government of India.
The organisation also declared that Meitei civilians would not be permitted to enter Kuki-Zo areas “until a definitive and just political peace is established.”
Meanwhile, United Kuki National Army (UKNA) also termed the Chief Minister’s proposed May 15 visit to Lamka as “highly provocative and unacceptable” and warned that no group or individual should facilitate entry into what it described as “frontline areas.”
Two major Kuki insurgent umbrella groups, Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front/ZRO, have also opposed the proposed visit, warning that it could trigger confrontation and further escalate tensions in the region.
The statement concluded by urging the Chief Minister to focus governance efforts within the valley and refrain from what it described as “inflammatory attempts” to enter Kuki-Zo territory.
The development comes amid continuing tensions in Manipur following the ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, leading to large-scale displacement, violence, and ongoing political demands from various groups.
The proposed visit of the Chief Minister to Churachandpur district has already drawn opposition from several Kuki-Zo civil society organisations, including Kuki Inpi Manipur, which recently urged the state government to defer the visit until conditions become conducive for meaningful engagement and restoration of normalcy.
