New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- The Kuki-Naga ethnic conflict in Northeast India, mainly within the hill districts of Manipur, is a territorial dispute over overlapping claims to ancestral land, ethnic autonomy, and political hegemony.

Friction over land boundaries erupted into full-scale conflict in 1992-1998. Nagas have been raising the demand of Nagalim (Greater Nagaland), while the Kuki want a distinct territory - Kukiland. The conflict quietened post 1998 due to localized community-led peace accords, administrative boundaries (buffer lines), and security interventions.

Changed Security Dynamic

But the re-eruption of the Kuki-Naga conflict in early 2026 has fundamentally altered the security dynamic in Manipur. Catalysts include following two...