Manipur is a state in northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south. The state covers an area of 22,327 km2 (8,621 sq mi). The official and most widely spoken language is the Meitei language. Native to the Meitei people, it is also used as a lingua franca by smaller communities, who speak a variety of other Tibeto-Burman languages. Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years. This exchange connects the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, regions in the Arctic, Micronesia and Polynesia enabling migration of people, cultures and religions.
The Paite people are an ethnic group in Northeast India, mainly living in Manipur and Mizoram. The Paites are recognized as a scheduled tribe in these two states. They are part of the larger Zo people, but also use their Zomi identity along with all the 7 tribes under "Zomi Council". "Guite" is a major clan of the Paite people.
Moreh is a border town located on the India–Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district of the Indian state of Manipur. As a rapidly developing international trade point with the integrated customs and international immigration checkpoint, Moreh plays an important role in India's Look East Policy, trade and commerce under ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, India-Myanmar relationship, India–Myanmar–Thailand road connectivity, and Trans-Asian Railway connectivity.
Thadou, Kuki, or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin sub-branch. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India. The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.
Tengnoupal is a hill town at the highest point of a road (NH-2) between Imphal and Moreh at the end of northwestern Myanmar; the ASEAN Highway passes through the village. It is the district headquarters of the recently reinstated Tengnoupal District and the administrative headquarters of yet to be formed Tengnoupal Autonomous District Council. The climate is cold all throughout the year and remains foggy during the rainy season. The village was founded by Pu Houlim Loikhom Mate and it is the largest village of the Kuki people in the district. The village due to its strategic location has seen many battles in the course of history including World War II.
The Kuki–Paite Conflict, also called Kuki–Zomi Conflict, was an ethnic conflict during 1997–1998 between tribal communities in Churachandpur district in Manipur, India. The conflict started when a Kuki insurgent group, KNF, mercilessly killed 10 Paite villagers of Saikul Village on June 24, 1997, which led to pitting one group that subscribed to the Kuki label against another group that subscribed to the Zomi label, the latter being led by the Paites. The conflict lasted for over a year, during which 352 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed and over 13,000 people were displaced. The Government of India sent in the Indian Army to attempt to stop the violence, but peace was restored in September–October 1998 only with the initiative of the Church.
The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is an armed Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Kuki people and the Paite tribe in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.
The northeastern Indian state of Manipur has a relatively large population of Tamils, largely concentrated near the border of Myanmar. The town of Moreh in particular has an estimated 17,000 Tamils. Tamils in Manipur have relatives and business contacts in Myanmar, which is a valuable network facilitating cross-border trade.
Zale'n-gam or Zalengam (Thadou-Kuki) dialect for 'land of freedom'), also known as Kukiland is a proposed state by Kuki people, with the intention of uniting all the Kuki tribes under a single government. The proposed state's main proponents are the Kuki National Organisation and its armed wing, the Kuki National Army.
The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of Manipur. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India; it displays elements of a national liberation war as well as an ethnic conflict.
The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) is a political organisation established in 1988, with the aim of representing the interests of the Kuki people in northeast India and northwest Myanmar (Burma). The organisation operates alongside its principal armed wing, the Kuki National Army (KNA), and has been active in advocating for the rights and aspirations of the Kuki community.
The Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), also known as the Bom Party, is a banned ethno-nationalist armed militant political organization in Bangladesh based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Established by Nathan Bom in 2008, KNF aims to establish a separate autonomous or independent state for Bawm, Pangkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Mru & Khiang peoples with nine subdistricts (upazilas) of Rangamati and Bandarban districts. The Front has an armed wing called Kuki-Chin National Army. According to Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies, Kuki-Chin National Front has received weapons from Kachin State in Myanmar, and also has ties with Karen rebels.
On 3 May 2023, ethnic violence erupted in India's north-eastern state of Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community from the surrounding hills. According to government figures, as of 3 May 2024, 221 people have been killed in the violence and 60,000 people have been displaced. Earlier figures also mentioned over 1,000 injured, and 32 missing. 4,786 houses were burnt and 386 religious structures were vandalised, including temples and churches. Unofficial figures are higher.
Arambai Tenggol is a Meitei activist organisation in the Indian state of Manipur founded by Manipur's titular ling and Rajya Sabha member Leishemba Sanajaoba, who also remains as its chairman. Arambai Tenggol has been described as a radical organisation, or as a radicalised armed militia. It is also a revivalist organisation that aims to reestablish the pre-Hindu, native Sanamahi religion among the Meiteis. It enjoys the patronage of Sanajaoba as well as the chief minister N. Biren Singh. During the 2023–2024 Manipur violence, members of the Kuki-Zo community blamed it for having carried out deadly attacks against them. In January 2024, the organisation demonstrated its influence by summoning all the elected Meitei legislators of the state for a meeting to deliberate on the defence of Meiteis in the prevailing conflict.
In the state of Manipur in northeast India, conflict arose between the Kukis and Nagas soon after India's independence. The Nagas, who dominated the northern hill regions of the state, attempted to homogenise the area in order to demand integration with the Naga Hills region further north. This caused displacement of Kukis to the southern districts as well as the central hill regions during the 1950s. Major clashes again occurred during 1992-98, leading to the deaths of more than 1,000 people and diplacement of 50,000–100,000 people.
Prostitution is practised by some people in the Kuki society. Kuki tribes live mainly concentrated in Myanmar's Chin State, Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and Northeast India, mainly in Manipur and Mizoram.
Kangvai is a village in the Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. It is on the bank of the Kangvai stream that flows down from the eastern slopes of the Thangjing Hill. It is also the headquarters of the Kangvai Subdivision in the Churachandpur district. In the 2011 census, Kangvai had a population of 939 people. According to many sources, the 2023–2024 Manipur violence began at Kangvai, causing most residents to abandon the village.
The Federation of Haomee is a Meitei-led civil society organisation based in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, India. In addition to Meiteis, it has participation from some Naga groups. The organisation claims to campaign for the rights of the "indigenous communities" of Manipur, including the Meitei and Naga people among them, but excluding the Kuki people. It has published a book titled Manipur after the Coming of Kukis authored by one of its functionaries R. K. Rajendra Singh, arguing that Kukis "arrived" in Manipur a century ago and transformed Manipur in some way. Scholars have called it a "vigilante organisation" that has generated a "free flow" of hate speech against the Kukis of Manipur.
The International Meeteis Forum is a Meitei ethnic advocacy group in the Indian state of Manipur. Its objectives are to assert Meitei indigeneity in Manipur, to unify Meiteis around the world, to campaign for the territorial integrity of the Manipur state and to block the influx of alleged foreigners. Founded in 2012 by a retired army officer R. K. Rajendro, it later teamed up with the Federation of Haomee with similar ideological motivations. Both the organisations generated free-flowing hate speech against the Kuki community of Manipur, labelling them as "immigrants" or "foreigners", which was instrumental in the generation of 2023 Manipur violence.
Throughout the long-running separatist insurgencies in Northeast India, dozens of India-based insurgent groups have been involved in the neighboring conflict in Myanmar, both sheltering in Myanmar from the counterinsurgent Assam Rifles and participating in the conflict itself. Outside of several Indian-led operations, including Operation Golden Bird in 1995, Operation Hot Pursuit in 2015, or Operation Sunrise I and II in 2019, areas in which these insurgent groups are active have scarcely experienced fighting. Amid the escalation of civil war in Myanmar from 2021, several sources claim that the majority of Indian ethnic armed organisations (IEAOs) are allied, or have some level of understanding, with the ruling military junta of Myanmar, who allows them to maintain bases inside mountainous areas of northern Myanmar, typically in return for the IEAOs attacking anti-junta resistance groups.
Other Kuki National Organization Armed Wings:[ better source needed ] [4] 
Kachin Independence Army [6] 
People's Defence Force [ better source needed ]
