Drug routes, tribal corridors, political faultlines: Inside Manipur’s new Naga-Kuki conflict

Following the formation of a new state government in Manipur in February 2026, fresh violence has erupted — this time drawing Naga groups into a conflict tha...

What Happened

Following the formation of a new state government in Manipur in February 2026, fresh violence has erupted — this time drawing Naga groups into a conflict that had previously been primarily between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
Protests in Kuki-Zo-dominated hill areas on 7 February 2026 over three Kuki legislators joining the new government escalated into violent clashes, with Tangkhul Naga groups becoming directly involved.
Naga civil society organisations have alleged that Kuki armed groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, along with Myanmar-based Kuki factions, were conducting raids into Naga-inhabited border villages, blurring established territorial boundaries.
Violence is no longer confined to a single front: Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga armed groups now operate across overlapping territories with competing claims, each community attributing blame to the others.
The broader conflict, which began on 3 May 2023, has killed more than 200 people and displaced approximately 60,000 persons over three years.

Static Topic Bridges

The Meitei-Kuki-Naga Ethnic Triangle in Manipur

Manipur's population is divided among three broad communities: the Meitei (valley-dwelling majority, Hindu/Sanamahist), the Kuki-Zo (hill-dwelling tribal communities), and the Naga (hill-dwelling, with pan-Naga political aspirations crossing into Nagaland and Myanmar). The valley, comprising approximately 10% of Manipur's land area, holds about 53% of the population; the hills, home to tribal communities, cover the remaining 90% but lack equal political representation. The Meitei-Kuki conflict beginning May 2023 was triggered by the question of Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis, which tribal groups opposed on economic and land-ownership grounds. Naga involvement in 2026 has introduced a third front, as territorial claims intersect and the narco-economy creates new economic stakes across community lines.

Meiteis are currently not classified as Scheduled Tribes; a court direction to consider their ST status triggered the 2023 violence.
Kuki-Zo groups have long demanded a separate administration (Kukiland/Zomi Homeland) within or outside Manipur.
Naga political aspirations for a "Greater Nagalim" — unification of Naga-inhabited areas across Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Myanmar — overlap with hill areas claimed by Kukis.

Connection to this news: The new violence reflects not just communal tensions but contested territorial and administrative claims that no single peace agreement has resolved, now further complicated by a change in state government.

Sixth Schedule and the Demand for Autonomous Governance in Manipur Hills

The Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for the creation of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) with legislative, executive, and judicial powers in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Critically, Manipur is not covered under the Sixth Schedule. Instead, Manipur's hill areas are governed by ADCs created under the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971 — a state law that grants significantly fewer powers than the constitutional Sixth Schedule framework.

Tribal communities in Manipur's hills have long demanded inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, a demand that predates the 2023 conflict.
The Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly provides limited oversight of hill administration but does not have full autonomous powers.
Sixth Schedule areas in Assam include Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, and North Cachar Hills districts.

Connection to this news: The demand for Sixth Schedule status or a separate administrative unit remains a core unresolved grievance of hill tribal communities, and its absence is a structural driver of the Manipur conflict.

Suspension of Operations (SoO) and the Naga Framework Agreement

The Suspension of Operations (SoO) is a tripartite ceasefire-like arrangement between the Government of India, the Government of Manipur, and Kuki armed groups, in effect since August 2005 and formalised via tripartite agreement in 2008. It allows designated Kuki armed groups to stay in designated camps in exchange for suspending hostilities, enabling political dialogue — which began formally in 2016. Separately, the Framework Agreement of 2015 was signed between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), recognising the unique history and political rights of the Naga people as a basis for a final settlement.

As of 2026, the Naga Framework Agreement has not been converted into a final accord; key disputes remain over the geographic scope of a "Greater Nagaland."
Naga organisations have called for abrogation of the SoO agreement with Kuki groups, alleging violations.
The SoO framework does not apply to Myanmar-based Kuki factions such as the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), which allegedly operate in Indian territory.

Connection to this news: The credibility of the SoO arrangement is now under direct challenge from Naga groups, and the unresolved Naga political talks mean that both Naga and Kuki communities have parallel, competing political negotiations with the Centre — a recipe for inter-tribal friction on the ground.

Golden Triangle Drug Routes and NDPS Act

The Golden Triangle — comprising Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand — is the world's second-largest opium and methamphetamine producing region. Manipur, sharing a 398-km porous international border with Myanmar, serves as the primary transit corridor for synthetic drugs (particularly yaba/methamphetamine tablets) entering India from the Golden Triangle. The collapse of centralised authority in Myanmar after the 2021 military coup has dramatically expanded narco-militia networks operating across this border. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 is India's primary legislation governing drug trafficking, with provisions for minimum 10-year imprisonment for commercial quantities.

Manipur's prolonged ethnic conflict has been partly financed by proceeds from the illicit drug trade, with both armed groups and civilian networks involved.
China's expanding influence in Myanmar's narco-economy forms a strategic backdrop to India's northeast security challenge.
India's border with Myanmar had long been under a Free Movement Regime (FMR), which was suspended in 2023 following security concerns.

Connection to this news: Drug revenue provides financial sustenance to armed groups across community lines, meaning that any conflict in Manipur's hill areas simultaneously intersects with narco-trafficking networks — making it both an internal security and a border management challenge.

Key Facts & Data

The Meitei-Kuki conflict began on 3 May 2023, killing over 200 people and displacing approximately 60,000 persons over three years.
Manipur shares a 398-km porous border with Myanmar.
Naga armed group NSCN-IM signed the Framework Agreement with the Government of India in August 2015.
The SoO arrangement with Kuki groups has been in effect since August 2005; formal tripartite agreement signed in 2008.
Manipur is not covered under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution; its hill ADCs operate under the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971.
AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958) remains in force in parts of Manipur, granting the armed forces special powers of search, arrest, and use of force in "disturbed areas."
The Sixth Schedule currently applies to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram — not Manipur.