Church leaders meet Naga group in attempt to mend fences with the Kuki-Zo

The secretary general of CBCNEI told journalists that the focus was on defusing the hostage crisis triggered by the killing of three Thadou church leaders on May 13

Published – May 19, 2026 10:39 pm IST – GUWAHATI

The Hindu Bureau

A 10-member team of church leaders representing four national and global organisations began a peace mission in Manipur by meeting leaders of an apex Naga body, as its Kuki counterpart extended its shutdown by another 48 hours from Tuesday (May 19, 2026) midnight.

The church leaders represent the Manipur Convention (MBC), the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI), the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, and the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). They met leaders of the United Naga Council (UNC) in Senapati, one of four hill districts caught in a conflict between the primarily Christian Kuki-Zo and Naga communities.

Reverend Namseng R. Marak, the secretary general of the CBCNEI, told journalists that the focus was on defusing the hostage crisis triggered by the killing of three Thadou church leaders on May 13. A section of Thadous claims it is a tribe independent of the Kuki tag.

“This is a difficult moment for the affected families. We appeal to all communities to exercise restraint, remain patient, and move forward in the spirit of forgiveness and peace,” he said, hoping that the Kuki and Naga communities would uphold “brotherhood and humanity” for the restoration of peace in Manipur.

A.C. Thotso, member-secretary of the UNC’s Working Committee, welcomed the church leaders’ peace initiative. He said the matter would be considered by the appropriate decision-making bodies of the organisation, while reiterating that “peace can prevail only when truth is acknowledged”.

Another team of church leaders visited the families of the three slain church leaders at Keithelmanbi and Damdei villages in Kangpokpi district to offer their condolences.

Kukis dominate Kangpokpi district, where the church leaders were ambushed and killed by unidentified gunmen. Nagas form the majority in the Senapati district, which borders the State of Nagaland.

The visit of the church leaders to the conflict-hit districts followed their meeting with Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in the State’s capital, Imphal, on Monday.

Shutdown extended

As tension prevailed in the hill districts, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) extended its shutdown across Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas by 48 hours from midnight on Tuesday. This is the second extension after the shutdown was imposed on May 13.

“The decision follows the continued inaction of the government in addressing the legitimate concerns and demands placed before it, as well as the absence of any tangible positive development on the ground,” a KIM statement read.

The demands include a high-level probe into the killing of the three church leaders and the release of 14 Kuki people, including three minor students, allegedly held captive by Naga groups.

Naga organisations also stepped up their demand for the release of six community members, including a pastor, allegedly held hostage by Kuki extremists.

A delegation from the Liangmai Naga Council and the Liangmai Naga Women Union called on the Chief Minister to seek the release of the six missing Naga men from Konsakhul village in Kangpokpi district. “If the hostages are dead, their bodies should be handed over to their respective families to enable them to perform the last rites,” the organisations said.

Meanwhile, the Thadou Community International (TCI) expressed its support for the Thadou Inpi Manipur’s proposal to establish a community-level understanding between the Thadou and Naga communities, based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, similar to the existing understanding with the Meitei community.

The TCI asserted that Kuki was not an ethnic community or ethnicity, but a term “characterised as a violent, radical ideological entity”.

Published – May 19, 2026 10:39 pm IST

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