COTU condemns blockade, issues final warning to Manipur

Kangpokpi, September 9, 2026: The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi District, has strongly condemned what it described as an “inhumane and selective blockade” imposed against the Kuki-Zo community and issued a final warning to the Manipur government.

In a press statement, COTU said it had consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace and humanity despite enduring immense hardship. The committee said the blockade was a principled stand to ensure the free movement of essential commodities, medicines and people for all communities in Manipur.

COTU alleged that the blockade was an act of “utterly condemnable, inhuman and provocative” conduct. It claimed that humanitarian gestures, including the opening of the Liangmai and Tangkhul communities’ continued movement corridors, had been targeted and communal blockades had been intensified against the Kuki-Zo community.

“This selective blockade is not a protest; it is a direct act of ethnic persecution and collective punishment,” COTU said. It added that National Highways had been declared open for all, but Kuki-Zo people, vehicles, essential supplies and medical emergencies were deliberately stopped, harassed and denied passage.

The committee condemned what it called hypocrisy and inhumanity in the strongest possible terms.

Warning to government
Referring to the Government of Manipur’s order dated August 28, 2026, issued by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Home, COTU said the order had categorically prohibited blockades and warned of prosecution without notice. The committee demanded that the order be implemented immediately and without bias.

COTU said that if the government failed to take concrete and immediate action to remove the illegal blockade allegedly imposed by Tangkhul, it would be held responsible for the prolonged conflict in the state. It said the blockade had restricted the movement of Kuki-Zo communities against the Kuki-Zo and Liangmai communities in the Kuki-Zo-dominated areas.

The committee said justice should not be sought only for the six members of the Liangmai community, but also for the hundreds of innocent civilians who had been killed in Manipur, including pastors, women and a newborn baby who were brutally killed by the Tangkhul-led NSCN and ZUF-K.

COTU further warned that responsibility for any escalation and its consequences resulting from the government’s inaction would lie entirely with the Government of Manipur and the groups allegedly continuing the communal blockade.