17/02/2026
Why the Kuki-Zo Are at the Receiving End
The Unavoidable Truth
"They’re not fighting everyone. Everyone is fighting over where they live".
When violence erupts in Manipur, headlines often ask: “Why are the Kukis in conflict again?”—as if conflict is their choice, their habit, or their fault. But the reality on the ground tells a different story. The Kuki-Zo people aren’t instigators of chaos. They are the ones consistently on the receiving end—not because they provoke, but because their homeland sits at the collision point of two powerful and expansionist ethno-nationalist projects.
Here’s why—clearly, factually, and without distortion.
1. Their Land Is the Prize—Not Their People
The Kuki-Zo inhabit a strategic arc of hills stretching from Churachandpur to Tengnoupal—territory that links the Imphal Valley to Myanmar and borders Naga-dominated districts. This land is:
• Rich in forests, water sources, and biodiversity
• Critical for national security (bordering Myanmar)
• Seen as “underutilized” by valley elites
• Claimed as “historically Naga” by armed Naga groups
Result: Both Meitei and Naga political movements view Kuki areas as territory to be integrated, not as homelands to be respected. The Kukis aren’t attacked for who they are—but for where they stand.
> In the 1990s, over 350+ Kuki villages were burned down and 1000+ people were killed by NSCN (IM)—not in retaliation, but to “ethnically cleanse” areas claimed for Nagalim.
> From 2023 to the present, Meitei mobs have targeted Kuki homes in the valley and hill peripheries, fueled by rhetoric that labeled them “illegal settlers” and “demographic threats.”
In both cases, the Kukis were defending—not invading.
2. They Lack the Political Armor Others Have
- The Meiteis dominate state institutions, media, bureaucracy, and have strong civil society networks in the valley.
- The Kaccha Nagas have decades-old armed movements (like NSCN-IM) with international recognition, ceasefire agreements, and a unified territorial narrative.
- The Kukis? They are politically fragmented across dozens of sub-tribes, with competing armed groups, no single political voice, and minimal representation in state power structures.
• In ethnic politics, weakness is vulnerability.
• When you lack unity, arms, or institutional leverage, your land becomes easy to contest—and your people, easy to displace.
This isn’t a conspiracy—it’s strategy. History shows that communities without consolidated power are targeted first when territory is up for grabs.
3. State Policies Have Weaponized Identity
The Indian state’s approach in Manipur has deepened divisions:
- Armed patronage: At different times, both Naga and Kuki militias were used as proxy forces—arming communities against each other while denying them political solutions.
- Ambiguous boundaries: Hill district borders remain poorly demarcated, allowing rival claims to fester.
- Reservation competition: Instead of addressing economic inequality, the system pits ST groups against each other for jobs and education—turning policy into a battleground.
The result? Ethnic identity becomes a survival tool—and a target. Kukis are accused of “hogging reservations” by the Meiteis, while the kuki-zo's own fears of cultural extinction are ignored.
4. They Are Blamed for Defending Themselves
• When Kukis form village defense groups or demand autonomy, it’s framed as “militancy.”
• When they flee burning villages, they’re called “troublemakers.”
• When they speak of ancestral rights, they’re labeled “anti-Manipur.”
But what choice do they have?
* If you don’t defend your home, you lose it.
* If you do defend it, you’re called violent.
This is the double bind of the marginalized: punished for resistance, erased for having weak leadership and no unity.
5. No Space for Truth—Not Even Neutrality
During the 2023 violence, Meitei families who tried to speak the truth and stay neutral were attacked by Meitei militias:
• Meitei mobs accused them of “siding with the Kukis” and vandalised their properties.
• Hardline elements labeled them “traitors” for refusing to vilify the Kukis.
Truth-telling was silenced—replaced by false narratives, propaganda, and the threat of annihilation.
The Bottom Line
The Kukis are not “in conflict with everyone.”
They are caught between everyone’s ambitions—with no unified army command, no capital, and no veto power over decisions that decide their fate.
They are at the receiving end because:
- Their land is coveted
- Their unity is fractured
- Their leaders are easy to manipulate
- Their voice is drowned out
- Their defense is criminalized
- Their existence is seen as an obstacle
"This isn’t tribal animosity. It’s structural targeting".
Until the Government of India acknowledges that peace requires justice—not just ceasefire agreements—the Kukis will continue to pay the price for living in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The moment the SoO groups establish strong, unified leadership—with a cohesive command structure for security and a shared vision for policy-making—everything will fall into place. The recent conflict in Litan was a clear lesson in what weakness invites: when you are perceived as weak, everyone wants to pick a fight, frame it along ethnic lines, and take your land.
But ultimately, asking “why do they fight?” remains the wrong question.
The right one is: “Why do we keep trying to steal others’ land by killing its owners—and attempting to rewrite their history and future without them?”
