UKHRUL: Several Naga groups have condemned what they describe as an “unprovoked attack” on Naga volunteers by the Zeliangrong United Front-Jiangchui (ZUF-J) group. This reported attack occurred today while the volunteers were safeguarding Betiang village in Noney District, Manipur.
In a press statement, the Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM), which represents the Zeme, Rongmei, Inpui, and Liangmai tribes, condemned the arson and violence. They also warned against collaborating with hostile elements. The council characterized the aggression as cowardly and a direct assault on the peace, safety, and integrity of their territorial boundaries during this highly volatile period of unrest.
Further, they issued a directive to all individuals, organizations, and village authorities within their territories to stand firmly with the JTCM against these heinous acts. Also, the body stated that any individual or group refusing to align with them or providing solace, support, or safe passage to the Kuki elements, whom they refer to as “Cannibal Narco-Terrorists,” will be considered hostile actors.
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“Let it be known that the JTCM will treat any alignment with the intruders and collaborators as an act of betrayal against our people. There is no space within our ancestral territories for those who fraternize with the enemy. There is no place for people who befriend the intruders and cannibals in our Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Inpui communities,” the JTCM stated. They warned that anyone aiding, abetting, or sympathizing with the enemy would be seen as a declaration against the collective survival of the indigenous population.
Similarly, the Western Command of the Naga Village Guard issued a total war declaration against arson, atrocities, and internal subversion. “We do not merely ‘condemn’ the recent arson and brutal massacres perpetrated by the ZUF (J) against our own indigenous Naga Village Guard, who are safeguarding Bitiang Village (Laphok), Noney District. We damn these savage acts to the annals of infamy. These are not mere attacks; they are acts of genocidal war against our own indigenous people,” they stated.
They also issued binding ‘Martial Directives,’ including a mandate for retribution, urging every Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Inpui citizen to adopt a posture of total resistance. They emphasized that there is no neutral ground; everyone is either for the survival of their bloodline or a target, and that hesitation will be treated as complicity. Additionally, they declared that anyone providing any form of aid, comfort, logistical support, or safe passage to the “Cannibal Narco-Terrorist Kuki intruders or their allies” will be immediately declared hostile combatants.
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“To fraternize with the enemy is to sign your own death warrant. There is no sanctuary for traitors within the sacred boundaries of our territories,” they stressed. They issued a final ultimatum to traitors, urging them to repent and sever all ties with the enemy immediately, or else face the full wrath of the Naga Village Guard defense force. “The Western Command will treat any act of alignment with the invaders as high treason against the collective Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Inpui communities. We will show no mercy to those who betray their own kin for the enemy’s gold or promises,” they cautioned.
“The Western Command will exercise extreme prejudice against collaborators. Scorched-earth tactics will be employed. We will not differentiate between foreign attackers and domestic conspirators,” they added, urging every able-bodied man and woman to arm themselves under the Naga Village Guard. “We will defend every inch of our ancestral land. We will hunt those who hunt us. The time for political talks is over,” the press note concluded.
Additionally, the Rongmel Naga Luphuam Manipur (RNLPM), condemning the attack, expressed shock that the ZUF (J) has turned its guns on its own people while claiming to defend the Zeliangrong community. “While our communities face external threats and territorial challenges, directing armed attacks against Naga volunteers is unjustifiable. Turning weapons on those protecting their own village is a betrayal of that responsibility,” they stated.
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The RNLPM also emphasized that such firing against their people not only instills fear, division, and mistrust among the Naga community but also undermines Naga unity and safety. They demanded that the ZUF (J) immediately cease such actions and ensure that innocent civilians and community volunteers are never targeted again.
