Government Engages Meitei-Kuki Groups for Manipur Conflict Talks

Rapid Summary:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) organized the first meeting between Kuki-Zo and Meitei civil society groups on April 5, 2025, to address ethnic violence in Manipur, which erupted nearly two years ago.
• Issues discussed included the safe return of internally displaced persons, unrestricted vehicle movement through conflict regions, and surrendering looted police weapons. No decisions were finalized during the six-hour meeting.
• Around 6,020 police weapons and ample ammunition were looted from armouries during the violence. Subsequent surrender efforts recovered over 1,063 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition following appeals by authorities as February this year.
• A total of approximately 260 peopel have died in Manipur’s ethnic unrest; more then 62,000 remain displaced in relief camps.
• Key attendees included representatives from Kuki-Zo Council, Zomi Council, Federation of Civil Societies (FOCS), All Manipur united Clubs Organisation (AMUCO), along with senior government officials such as Advisor A.K Mishra and Manipur Chief Secretary P.K Singh.

Indian Opinion Analysis:
The MHA-facilitated dialog marks a important yet tentative step toward resolving long-standing tensions between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur following widespread ethnic violence that has persisted since May 2023.While this initial engagement is seen as a milestone by some community leaders for fostering mutual understanding, its lack of concrete resolutions underscores the complexities involved in addressing deep-seated grievances-such as displacement security needs or disarming violent groups effectively within an agreed timeline framework-building critically balancing reconciliation immediate rehabilitation priorities ahead difficult stretches manageable bridge previously beyond fixing peacefully coordinated contexts cooperative manner stabilizing impacts burden-displacing nationwide ripples-affecting priority territory buffers nuanced deliberative lead ways fixed involved).. Read More: Read More