By Tuesday evening (July 22), the situation in Deiveijang and its surrounding forest tracts remained tense and volatile, underlining the fragile and fractured insurgency landscape of Manipur — where rival loyalties, splinter groups, and shifting allegiances continue to stoke armed violence and regional instability.
TFM Report
In a deadly escalation of internecine conflict, five militants were killed early Tuesday morning during a violent confrontation between two rival Kuki-Chin armed insurgent groups deep inside the jungles of Deiveijang village, near Longpi under Nungba Police Station in Noney district, Manipur.
The gunfight, which erupted in an area with no road access or mobile coverage, is the latest sign of mounting tension between non-Suspension of Operations (SoO) militant outfits operating outside the formal ceasefire framework with the Government of India.
According to police sources, the incident occurred around 50 kilometres south of Nungba in a remote forested region. “The location is not easily accessible. We have sent a team to the site, but details are still coming in,” a senior official said.
The clash is believed to have involved cadres of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) and the Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA) — both newly emerged non-SoO armed groups. Sources said the deceased militants have been identified as Alex, Seiboi, Pongba, Ringo, and Rambo, although their specific group affiliations are yet to be verified.
Security and intelligence officials suspect the gunfight was triggered by territorial disputes and a growing power struggle between the two outfits, which are largely made up of splinter elements from older Chin-Kuki militant groups operating across Manipur’s hill districts and the Indo-Myanmar border.
Tensions had reportedly been simmering since the June 30 assassination of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Kuki National Army (KNA) — a SoO signatory group — allegedly by UKNA operatives. That killing has further fractured the internal dynamics of the Kuki-Chin insurgent network, insiders claim.
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s firefight, security forces have ramped up aerial and ground surveillance, with tracking operations underway in the conflict zone. However, no official statement has yet been released by either Manipur Police or central paramilitary forces regarding the status of the site or any planned counterinsurgency measures.
By Tuesday evening, the situation in Deiveijang and its surrounding forest tracts remained tense and volatile, underlining the fragile and fractured insurgency landscape of Manipur — where rival loyalties, splinter groups, and shifting allegiances continue to stoke armed violence and regional instability.