India, Aug. 23 -- In a significant moment for conflict-scarred Manipur, passenger buses and smaller vehicles departed state capital Imphal on Friday morning for Guwahati in Assam via Dimapur in Nagaland, restoring a key inter-state road link that had remained closed for more than three years. Two buses and five Wingers carrying 125 passengers travelled along National Highway 2, Manipur's preferred surface lifeline to the outside world. Under multi-force security cover, the convoy passed safely through the Kuki-majority Kangpokpi and Naga-majority Senapati districts before entering Nagaland and continuing to Assam.

The roughly 500-kilometre journey was once routine. However, it had become nearly impossible for ordinary civilians after eth...