Tensions rose across the Kuki-Zo-majority districts of Kangpokpi and Churachandpur in Manipur on May 13, 2026, after three church leaders were killed and several others injured in a deadly ambush. The attack sparked widespread anger, shutdowns, and renewed fears of ethnic violence in the region.
The victims were senior leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI), a Baptist denomination rooted in the Thadou-Kuki community of Manipur. They had attended the United Baptist Convention Assembly in Churachandpur, and were traveling back to Kangpokpi, when suspected armed militants ambushed their convoy at around 10:25 a.m., along the Imphal–Tamenglong highway between the villages of Kotzim and Kotlen.
The vehicles used by the church delegation were clearly marked “Mission and Evangelist” at the time of the attack. The deaths of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, President of TBAI and former General Secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention, Pastor Kaigoulun Lhouvum, Secretary for Finance, Youth and Music at TBAI, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou, Superintendent Pastor of TBAI have been confirmed. Among the injured were Rev. SM Haopu Sitlhou, Executive Secretary of TBAI, Rev. Kaithang Singsit, Mr. Thangtinlen Sitlhou, and Mr. Lungoumang Lhouvum.
The death of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou has been described as a severe setback to inter-community peace efforts in Manipur, given his key role as a reconciliation advocate between the Kuki-Zo and Naga communities, both predominantly Christian tribal groups whose relations have worsened amid the wider ethnic conflict. In the weeks before his death, he had actively led bridge-building initiatives, including a peace consultation in Kohima on 4 May under the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum, bringing together leaders from both sides. He had also taken part in discussions in Churachandpur the day before his killing, where Christian leaders met to promote dialogue and coexistence.
Following the attack, Thadou civil bodies in Kangpokpi immediately enforced a shutdown, while the Churachandpur unit of the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) called for an indefinite shutdown, condemning the incident as a brutal killing targeting church leaders and criticizing the authorities for failing to control ongoing violence. The group further urged an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The protest quickly escalated, with everyday life in Kangpokpi coming to a halt as shops closed and traffic on National Highway-2 was heavily disrupted due to widespread road blockades. A broader 48-hour shutdown was also observed across Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, and Chandel, jointly enforced by Kuki-Zo and Naga civil groups, effectively paralyzing movement, trade, and public services across large parts of Manipur’s hill districts for multiple days.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Kuki Inpi Manipur accused the ZUF-Kamson faction and Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs) of such a “heinous and cowardly ambush” on unarmed church leaders. The Zeliangrong United Front rejected the allegation as “completely baseless, unfounded, and misleading,” instead blaming NSCN-IM operatives acting under a false name, while a statement issued by the “Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim” also denied NSCN/GPRN involvement and accused a splinter group of misinformation and false attribution. However, no arrests have been made yet.
Tensions escalated sharply as reports of retaliatory abductions emerged from multiple areas. Police received complaints that 23 Kuki villagers, travelling in a convoy of seven trucks and a car, were taken by unidentified individuals, while the United Naga Council (UNC) alleged that 20 Naga civilians were abducted by Kuki groups from the Leilon Vaiphei area.
Over the next two days, the situation began to ease as a series of negotiated releases took place, with a total of 28 individuals freed in the early hours of May 15 after both sides released 14 detainees each. Those released from the Kuki side reportedly included 12 women held in Leilon Vaiphei and two individuals linked to the Salesian Provincial Office in Dimapur who had been detained in the Sapermeina area. As of 17 May, police officials have confirmed that more than 30 of over 38 reported hostages from both Kuki and Naga communities in Kangpokpi and Senapati had been released.
Thousands of Kuki-Zo protesters gathered in Motbung in Kangpokpi district on May 16 as a 48-hour shutdown called by Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) began, demanding justice for the killings and the release of civilians allegedly being held hostage amid the unrest. Organized under the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), the rally marched from Motbung Bazaar to Charhajare carrying placards and raising slogans calling for civilian protection and accountability for the attacks. Parallel demonstrations, including sit-in protests in Kangpokpi and a mass rally in Churachandpur, were also held in solidarity with affected families and against the continued hostage situation. KIM Information and Publicity Secretary Janghaolun Haokip stated that the movement’s key demands included immediate release of all remaining detainees, adding, “Parents, spouses, children and relatives of those held hostage continue to live in fear, uncertainty, and severe emotional distress, without any assurance regarding the safety and well-being of their loved ones.”
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) extended the ongoing total shutdown by another 48 hours from midnight on May 15, stating that 14 Kuki civilians were still being held in “illegal detention and unlawful custody,” despite the release of another 14 hostages following the group’s earlier ultimatum. In its statement, KIM condemned the alleged abductions and hostage-taking as “barbaric acts of terror” and warned that failure to resolve the situation decisively would only destabilize the region further. In support of the protest, the KSO Sadar Hills also announced a separate 48-hour shutdown across Kangpokpi district beginning the same night, suspending schools, government offices, businesses, and transport services throughout the district.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh visited those injured in the attack at a local hospital and condemned the killings and Kuki-Zo legislators led by Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen described the ambush as a “direct assault on peace” and urged restraint to avoid further escalation. Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh called the security response “completely unconstitutional” and said, “The BJP governments at both the Centre and the state have catastrophically failed to safeguard innocent lives or provide a permanent solution even after years of continuous conflict.” Diaspora groups such as the Kuki Worship Service (KWS) in London, called on both India and the United Kingdom to ensure accountability on this matter.
Manipur remains deeply divided along ethnic, religious, and political lines. According to the 2011 Census, Hindus and Christians are almost evenly divided with 41.39% Hindu and 41.29% Christian. Meiteis, largely Hindu, are concentrated in the Imphal Valley, while the hill districts are dominated by the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo and Naga tribal communities. Despite occupying only around 10% of the state’s land area, the Meitei-majority valley controls 40 of Manipur’s 60 assembly seats, a political imbalance that has long fueled resentment among tribal groups who feel marginalized and insecure. Since violence erupted in 2023, tensions have further intensified, with accusations of Hindu nationalist influence, reports of religious discrimination, forced reconversion campaigns, and growing segregation between communities. Large parts of the state are now effectively divided into separate ethnic zones separated by security checkpoints and buffer areas.
The May 13 incident happened amid Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict, which began in 2023 and has left more than 260 people dead and over 60,000 displaced. While Nagas initially remained largely neutral during the Kuki-Meitei conflict, tensions between Kuki and Naga communities intensified after the killing of two Naga men in April 2026, triggering retaliatory clashes, deaths, and the burning of villages. At the same time, violence between Meitei and Kuki groups has continued in several districts, further destabilizing the state. Meanwhile, churches have become central shelters for displaced Kuki families, with community leaders claiming that more than 300 churches have been destroyed since the conflict began. The killing of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, a key figure in reconciliation initiatives, has deepened uncertainty over future dialogue, leaving peace-building efforts effectively stalled and the broader conflict still unresolved.
Verification Note: The information in this report has been compiled from multiple credible sources and cross-checked for consistency. Data and reports have been used to corroborate events where possible. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, access limitations may prevent independent verification of all details.
Afiya Ibnath Ayshi is a Security and Strategic Reporting Fellow at Bangladesh Defence Journal. She covers defence, foreign affairs, and humanitarian issues, focusing on how regional and global developments influence Bangladesh’s security and diplomacy. A graduate in English from the University of Dhaka, she brings a research-based and balanced approach to her work.