India, Aug. 4 -- Peace in Manipur remains painfully fragile. More than three years after ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023, the state continues to oscillate between cautious optimism and renewed bloodshed. Although the intensity of violence has diminished in recent months, recurring incidents of killings, militant attacks, and deepening ethnic mistrust reveal that the underlying conflict remains unresolved. Manipur today stands at a decisive moment where the choice is no longer simply between peace and violence, but between genuine reconciliation and the institutionalisation of permanent division.

The recent killing of two children after an explosive projectile struck a house in Bishnupur dist...