Ukhrul, October 22: The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has issued a strong condemnation of the October 20 drone strike allegedly carried out by the Indian Armed Forces on the Naga village of Khammoi (Khenmoi-Loiyi) under the East Konyak Region, across the India–Myanmar border.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the GNF described the attack as “cowardly and inhumane,” noting that it killed two civilians, 7-year-old Eli Phiphot Wangsa, a student of Khammoi Mission School, and 27-year-old Eno Khampei Wangsa, Joint Secretary of the Khammoi Students’ Union. Several others, including women, children, and the elderly, were reportedly injured.
Also read | NSCN-YA Condemns Alleged Drone Strike in Khenmoi-Loiyi, Claims Civilian Casualties
GNF said the incident constituted a “gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian law,” and highlighted that this was the second Indian drone strike on a Naga village this year, signaling what it called “a deliberate pattern of targeting Naga civilians beyond the imposed boundary.”
GNF also criticised the “deafening silence” of the Myanmar government, arguing that such an attack elsewhere in the country would have drawn an immediate protest. “Because we are Nagas and not ethnic Burmese, our lives are treated with indifference,” the statement read.
Citing a similar cross-border strike in 2017, the GNF said the pattern demonstrates “impunity and disregard for Naga lives.”
Also read | Th. Muivah Recalls Struggle, Calls for Honorable Settlement based on Amsterdam Communiqué and Framework Agreement
The forum urged the United Nations and international human rights bodies to investigate the strike, called on the Myanmar government to take a stand against the violation of its territorial integrity, and appealed to democratic governments and civil society to support an independent international probe. It also demanded that the Government of India halt military aggression against civilians and uphold the dignity and rights of the Naga people.
Expressing solidarity with the victims’ families and the Khammoi village community, the GNF extended its deepest condolences and demanded “truth, accountability, and justice.”