The Foothills Naga Co-ordination Committee (FNCC) categorically rejected the existence of “Kukiland” within the state of Manipur, labeling it an “imaginary construct” that they assert is fueling the ongoing conflict in the region.
The FNCC decried what it described as a strategic effort to “distort facts and grab the indigenous people’s land.” According to its statement, “historical accounts and governmental records have clearly established that the Kukis are not indigenous to Manipur. They are primarily migrants and refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh.”
The committee claimed recent moves by some Kuki groups to “illegally rename geographical features and landmarks of the State such as Mt Koubru, Mt Thangjing and SP Road etc.” are “blatant efforts to overwrite the ancestral heritage of the native communities.” It warned these actions are “not only provocative but a direct threat to the very existence of the indigenous people.”
Further allegations include the erection of “illegal bunkers, makeshift shelters, and road blockades by Kuki militant groups and their armed volunteers in Naga territories”, which the FNCC described as a “direct challenge to peaceful coexistence.” The role of illegal gates on public roads, forest land occupation, and unauthorized encroachment was also highlighted as violations that “must be dealt with accordingly.”
The FNCC demanded that “Kuki militant groups operating under the guise of political or ethnic movements must withdraw immediately from Naga territories.” It warned that “armed aggression and the use of violence to assert illegitimate territorial claims will only escalate the conflict and provoke necessary countermeasures.”
Identifying the root causes of unrest in Manipur, the FNCC pointed to “narcoterrorism and illegal immigration; twin threats that have eroded social cohesion and endangered the future of the state’s indigenous people.” It added that the unchecked influx of “drugs, arms, and foreign nationals into the region has enabled Kuki militant groups to entrench themselves and destabilize the region.”
While reaffirming that “peaceful coexistence is possible,” the committee insisted it must be based on “respect for historical truth and the rule of law.” It added, “The creation of imaginary homelands on someone else’s land is not coexistence, it is encroachment, and it will be dealt with [an] iron hand.”
