The Naga Students' Federation submitted a formal memorandum to the UN Human Rights Council on April 23, documenting what it describes as systematic human rights violations against the Naga people by Kuki militants, with particular reference to the April 18 NH-202 ambush that killed two Naga civilian
IMPHAL – The Naga Students' Federation (NSF), Oking, Kohima, submitted a formal memorandum on April 23, 2026, addressed to His Excellency Mr. Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, President of the Human Rights Council, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Copies were also forwarded to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The memorandum was submitted on the occasion of a Candlelight Vigil held at NSF Oking, Kohima, in solidarity with resolutions adopted by Naga civil bodies.
The memorandum, signed by NSF President Mteisuding and General Secretary Kenilo Kent, describes itself as a comprehensive account of the historical, political, and contemporary realities confronting the Naga people, presented before the international community in the aftermath of what the Federation characterised as the heinous and barbaric ambush of April 18, 2026, at TM-Kasom village along NH-202 in Ukhrul District, Manipur. In that attack, two innocent Naga civilians — Late Mr. Chinaoshang Shokwungnao of Tashar village and Late Mr. Yaruingam Vashum of Kharasom village — were killed. The NSF described the killings as the work of armed Kuki militants and stated that the act is not isolated but part of a sustained and coordinated pattern of aggression targeting Naga communities across the region.
END THE NARCO-TERROR - STOP KUKIS INVASION
— SpeakNaga_X (@SpeakNaga_X) April 23, 2026
Imphal | 23 April 2026
Candlelight Vigil in Imphal Over Killing of 2 Children at Tronglaobi and 2 Tangkhul Nagas at TM Kasom by Kuki-Narco-Terrorist. #Manipur #CandlelightVigil #northeastlive #northeast #Manipur #ManipurConflict… pic.twitter.com/JEkSH4NeQD
The memorandum opens with a detailed account of the historical foundation of the Naga political movement, which the NSF describes as one of the oldest indigenous assertions of self-determination in South Asia. It traces the organised political articulation of Naga identity to the formation of the Naga Club in 1918, and to the 1929 memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission, which expressed the Naga people's desire to be left alone to determine their own future.
The memorandum records that on August 14, 1947 — a day prior to India's independence — the Nagas declared independence, a declaration further reinforced by the 1951 plebiscite in which the overwhelming majority of Nagas expressed their political will for sovereignty. Despite these assertions, the NSF states that the Naga homeland was fragmented through arbitrary and artificial boundaries imposed during colonial and post-colonial administrations, leaving Nagas divided across Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of Myanmar. This fragmentation, the Federation argues, has led to decades of conflict, militarisation, and systemic denial of political rights. The Naga political movement is therefore characterised in the memorandum as a legitimate and enduring struggle rooted in history, identity, and the aspiration for dignity and self-determination.
The memorandum places on record a detailed timeline of incidents attributed to armed Kuki militants and armed groups, which the NSF describes as constituting a calculated and coordinated campaign aimed at intimidating, displacing, and subjugating Naga communities. The incidents documented are as follows:
16 March 2023: Armed elements from Leilon Kuki village set ablaze a JCB excavator and a two-wheeler belonging to a Naga resident of Konsaram village as an act of intimidation.
18 June 2023: Kuki militants deliberately torched the residence of Ab. Akhon, a Naga woman at Leimakhong, targeting a civilian household and instilling fear among the local population.
7 January 2025: Achongliu Daimai of K. Lungwiram was brutally assaulted within her own village by Kuki aggressors, in an act described as intended to terrorise the Naga community.
5 April 2025: A large group of armed Kuki militants launched a coordinated and unprovoked attack on Konsaram Naga village. Key community leaders, including the chief, chairman, secretary, and pastor, were brutally assaulted, in what the NSF characterised as a calculated attempt to dismantle community leadership structures.
11 January 2026: Armed cadres belonging to the Kuki National Front (KNF), operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with authorities, unlawfully entered Ireng Naga village. They vandalised public property, destroyed infrastructure, and defaced the village memorial stone with provocative slogans including "Kukiland" and "Stay Away" — described by the NSF as a clear signal of territorial intimidation.
7 February 2026: Mr. Staling Naga was violently assaulted at Litan by Kuki militants, sustaining a broken jaw, in what the NSF described as an attack triggered by a trivial and unprovoked incident.
9 February 2026: Armed Kuki youths set ablaze the residence of Ajan Abonmai at K. Lungwiram, once again targeting civilian property as a method of intimidation.
March 2026 onwards: Following the Litan incident, Kuki militants launched sustained and coordinated attacks on multiple Naga villages, including Sharkaphung and Sinakeithel. These attacks involved heavy gunfire using sophisticated weapons including drones, sniper rifles, bombs, SLRs, LMGs, and AK-series rifles, directly targeting unarmed villagers and farmers.
21 March 2026: Armed Kuki militants carried out a premeditated and coordinated attack on Thonglang Naga village near Zaimeng Lake, involving deliberate arson, systematic looting of valuables and livestock, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and criminal intimidation of civilians.
18 April 2026: In what the NSF described as one of the most heinous incidents, Kuki militants ambushed and killed two innocent Naga civilians — Late Mr. Chinaoshang Shokwungnao and Late Mr. Yaruingam Vashum — at TM-Kasom village along NH-202. Additionally, Kuki militants disrupted the peaceful mourning observance at T. Khullen village by attempting to forcibly dismantle barricades erected by Naga volunteers, exacerbating tensions during a period of collective grief.
The NSF memorandum identifies three structural factors it argues are driving the recurring aggression by Kuki militants against Naga communities. First, the encroachment on Naga ancestral lands: areas including Ireng, Waphong Inthan, Leikhampoki, Makhan, Toppa, Thanamba, Thonglang, and Chawangkining are described as witnessing systematic land encroachment, often enforced through violence. Second, illicit poppy cultivation: the expansion of illegal poppy cultivation in the region has, in the NSF's assessment, created a narco-driven economy that is directly fuelling territorial aggression and armed conflict. Third, the proliferation of illegal arms: the unchecked inflow of sophisticated weaponry has emboldened Kuki militants to carry out high-intensity attacks on civilian populations. Underpinning all three factors, the NSF highlights the failure of enforcement mechanisms, arguing that continued inaction and lack of accountability have created a climate of impunity that enables further aggression.
The memorandum categorises the actions documented against Naga civilians as serious violations of fundamental human rights, including the right to life and security, the right to dignity and peaceful existence, the right to property and livelihood, and the collective rights of indigenous peoples over ancestral lands. The NSF states that these violations stand in direct contradiction to internationally recognised human rights principles. The cumulative impact of these incidents, the Federation argues, constitutes a direct and existential threat to the Naga people, representing an organised effort to undermine the Naga presence in their own homeland.
In light of the documented violations, the NSF respectfully urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to: take urgent cognizance of the ongoing human rights violations; urge concerned authorities to ensure accountability and justice; advocate for the protection of indigenous Naga rights; and support mechanisms for peaceful and just conflict resolution.
The memorandum concludes by affirming that the Naga people have long demonstrated resilience and commitment to peace, while asserting that peace cannot be sustained without justice and that dignity cannot survive under constant threat. The NSF stated that the tragic loss of Late Mr. Chinaoshang Shokwungnao and Late Mr. Yaruingam Vashum must serve as a wake-up call to the international community, and that the killing of these two innocent civilians symbolises the larger crisis confronting the Naga people. The Federation reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to justice and the dignity of all indigenous peoples, and called upon the international community to stand in solidarity with the Naga people.
