SAA event in Manipur, Kharam Vaiphei area, India on Thu 8th January 2026

On 8 January 2026, ZUF along with ZTF engaged in a gunfight with armed Kuki assailants at Kharam Vaiphei village (Kangpokpi, Manipur) amidst ongoing violence between Meitei and Tribal communities in the state. ZTF claimed that 2 or 3 armed Kuki assailants sustained injuries and attributed the attack to the Kuki's demands for a separate administration, suspected illicit poppy cultivation, activities along German Road and Tiger Road, and the establishment of unauthorized camps by groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) within their territory. Kuki Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) claimed that an elderly civilian was abducted following which ZUF staged interrogation under the pretext of combating drug menace and carried out unprovoked firing along with bomb explosions resulting in no casualties but damage to several houses.