The Council, in no uncertain terms, condemns the ongoing, coordinated, and premeditated attacks on Naga villages and the brutal killing of innocent Naga civilians by armed Kuki militants. The unfolding situation in our ancestral lands is not only a grave threat to peace but also a serious crime against humanity.
We are horrified and outraged by the Makui Ashang Massacre wherein four precious Naga lives were snatched away in the most brutal manner and two others grievously injured, namely Mr. Machungamang Daimai, Mr. Dibambou Ringkangbou, Mr. Ajinbou Ringkangmai, and Mr. Ramningpou Gangmei. Further, Mr. Angam Chawang and Mr. Nashon Pame sustained grave injury.
The council takes a strong exception over the inhuman beheading of Mr. Ajinbou Ringkangmai, a Liangmai Naga at Makui Village along the IT Road. This act of decapitation is savagery of the highest order. It is a gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian principles enshrined in the Geneva Conventions. This is not just murder; it is a war crime that exposes the depraved mindset of the perpetrators. Perpetrators of this heinous crime must be arrested and prosecuted as per the laws.
We also unequivocally condemn the cold-blooded killings at Ningchou Village, Kamjong, claiming the precious lives of Mr. Ngachanso Ningshen and Mr. Leishisan Leishadang and torching of houses at Pongringlong village in Kangpokpi. And, the recent cross-border attacks, killing four Nagas at Pilong Village is a matter of great concern and an alarming situation that should be condemned and acted upon by all concerned especially the state. These are not isolated incidents but a pattern of external incursion into Naga ancestral territory. The attack on Pilong is a clear case of aggression and territorial incursion into Naga areas that must be taken into cognizance and acted upon by the state and central authorities.
We are also shocked and aghast by the glaring security lapses and abject failure of the State Government. Despite the presence of the highest number of Central and State security personnel in Manipur, Naga villages are left completely unprotected and at the receiving end of this violence.
The state has failed in its primary constitutional duty to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. This selective abandonment of Naga areas raises serious questions and has left our people defenseless, vulnerable, and forced to live in constant fear, especially in the vulnerable. areas. The council made its position clear that if the state could not ensure the protection of lives and property in both (Naga & Kuki) villages, then all the security forces should be withdrawn from the area. This raises a fundamental question that must be answered-whether the deployment of security forces is meant to control and maintain peace or their presence is harboring violence in the state.
“Naga lives matter. Therefore, we demand immediate arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators involved in the Makui beheading and the Ningchou and Pilong killings as per the law. Immediate intervention by the Government of India to stop external incursion into Naga villages and to secure all Naga areas along the sensitive peripheries by deployment of adequate security forces” stated the statement issued by H. James Hau, Information & Publicity Secretary, UNC.
