3 weeks ago
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GUWAHATI
The families of 14 abducted Kuki-Zo radical successful Manipur’s elevation districts renewed their entreaty for their harmless release, arsenic the deadline acceptable by an apex Naga organisation for the State authorities to way their missing assemblage members expired connected Sunday (May 17, 2026) evening.
More than 40 Kuki-Zo and Naga people, including women and minors, were held captives by suspected extremists aft 3 religion leaders belonging to the Thadou people were ambushed and killed by chartless gunmen connected May 13. The captors released 28 hostages — 14 each from some communities — connected May 15.
Kuki-Zo organisations said 14 much of their assemblage members, including 3 insignificant students, stay successful captivity. According to a Liangmai (Naga) women’s national successful Kangpokpi district, six Nagas proceed to beryllium held hostage.
“We code you contiguous not with the connection of politics, struggle oregon adversaries but with the raw, heartfelt outcry of mothers, fathers, wives, and children. We are the families of the 13 individuals from Taphou Kuki colony and 1 from Hengbung colony who are inactive successful custody since May 13,” the families wrote successful the associated entreaty connected Sunday.
They said astir of the captives did not instrumentality portion successful the struggle and that galore of those detained could beryllium suffering from failing health, intelligence trauma, and terrible distress.
“Every passing hr inflicts profound, agonising torment connected our family,” the families said, adding that mothers, fathers, and children were surviving successful a authorities of unbearable grief, praying regular for the information of their loved ones.
Recalling a “history of peace, communal respect, and brotherhood” betwixt Kuki and Naga villagers of Senapati district, the families said: “Our boys are not activists oregon combatants, and they person perfectly thing to bash with the wider struggle oregon the governmental storms surrounding us.”
Four elevation districts — the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, and the Naga-majority Senapati and Ukhrul — person been tense since the struggle betwixt the 2 tribal Christian communities began successful February pursuing a precocious nighttime brawl. More than fractional a twelve radical person been killed and scores of houses person been torched since then.
Kuki-Zo organisations imposed a 48-hour shutdown connected May 13 pursuing the sidesplitting of the religion leaders, which was extended by different 48 hours owed to the hostage crisis. The shutdown has deed goods transport connected 2 arterial highways linking the Imphal Valley to the remainder of the country.
The United Naga Council, which acceptable a 2 p.m. deadline connected Saturday (May 16, 2026) for the Manipur authorities to unafraid the merchandise of Nagas missing since May 13, extended it to 6 p.m. connected Sunday aft receiving a missive from the State Home Department that extended hunt operations were successful progress. The apex Naga assemblage did not update its presumption astatine the clip of reporting.
