Daijiworld Media Network - Imphal/Guwahati

Imphal/Guwahati, Jun 30: A fresh bout of violence shook Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Monday as the deputy chief of the Kuki National Army (KNA), Thenkhothang Haokip alias Thahpi, was killed in a targeted ambush, escalating tensions between rival insurgent factions. Thahpi, 48, was one of four people who lost their lives in the attack, which was claimed by the United Kuki National Liberation Army (UKNA), a breakaway faction not part of the ongoing ceasefire process.

Sources confirmed that two other KNA members — Seikhogin, 34, and Lengouhao, 35 — were also gunned down in the same assault. Lengouhao was notably the son-in-law of Kuki National Organisation (KNO) chief PS Haokip. The three were travelling in a white SUV when gunmen opened fire near Mongjang village around 2 p.m.

A 72-year-old woman bystander, Phalhing from Koite village, was also killed during the ambush, which took place in broad daylight and has since rattled the already tense region.

The KNA operates under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), one of two umbrella bodies — the other being the United People's Front (UPF) — representing tribal insurgents that signed a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the central and state governments. The SoO mandates that signatory groups remain confined to designated camps and submit to periodic joint inspections of weapon storage.

The UKNA, however, is not a signatory to the agreement and has continued its armed activities. In a statement circulated through local WhatsApp groups, which is now under police scrutiny, the UKNA claimed responsibility for the ambush, citing retaliation for the earlier killing of one of its leaders and over 30 of its cadre by the KNA.

Security forces have since cordoned off the Mongjang area, though no official police statement has been released regarding the exact sequence of events. The ambush reflects an intensification of internal turf wars among Kuki insurgent factions, even as formal dialogues between KNO, UPF, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are underway.

The incident comes just months after the Assam Rifles destroyed a UKNA camp in March, hidden deep within the jungles of Henglep village. That operation was seen as a blow to the UKNA’s armed presence, but Monday’s ambush signals the group’s continued operational capability.

KNO and UPF leaders have recently been engaged in talks with MHA officials, pressing for a separate administrative setup for tribal areas in Manipur — either as a Union Territory or a state within the Indian Union. Monday’s events are likely to cast a long shadow over the fragile peace process, exposing the limits of the current ceasefire structure and the volatility among unsanctioned militant factions operating outside its framework.