New Delhi: At least nine people were killed in a fresh outbreak of violence across Manipur’s Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts over 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, with attacks on civilians and village guards, gunfights and arson raising tensions between Kuki and Naga communities.The killings came as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was in New Delhi meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said that his government “remains steadfast in its resolve to advance lasting peace, stability” in the state.As per a Hindustan Times report, four deaths each were reported in Kamjong and Kangpokpi, while one person was killed in Ukhrul. The victims included six Nagas, two Kukis and a man of Nepali origin, the newspaper reported, citing officials and local village volunteers.The renewed violence began on Friday night near Chassad police station in Kamjong district, where a 42-year-old Kuki woman, Domkhonei Touthang, was killed in crossfire involving security personnel and an armed group. Touthang, a mother of five, was caught in the firing during an operation by the police, Indian Reserve Battalion and Border Security Force to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers near the police station, according to some media reports.However, as per sources to East Mojo, the women from Chassad had staged a protest against the detention of a group of youths by personnel by IRB, following which in a scuffle, the victim was fatally injured.Her death set off exchanges of fire and arson, with at least 14 houses of both communities burnt. A 23-year-old man, identified as Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, was killed in the ensuing clashes in Chassad on Saturday.Kuki groups accused Naga armed groups of involvement in attacks on Kuki civilians, while reports from the area also attributed attacks on Naga settlements to suspected Kuki militants. On Saturday morning, two Nagas, Ngachanso Ningshen and Leishisan Leishadang were killed at Ningchou village in Kamjong. In Ukhrul, Sandeep Rai, a Nepali-origin civilian, was shot dead in an ambush on National Highway 202. The report said the attackers may have included armed Kuki groups operating from Myanmar, although the circumstances and identities of those involved remain subject to verification.Violence also spread to Kangpokpi district, where Naga village guards were killed in attacks around Makui Ashang and nearby settlements along the Imphal-Tamenglong road. The Sangai Express reported that three Naga village guards died in an attack on Makui Ashang village and that a civilian was killed in a separate ambush at Tapon Liangmai village. Two people were injured in the latter incident. The newspaper also reported that several houses were set ablaze in the district.The fresh violence prompted shutdowns on two major highways. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) called a 24-hour shutdown along National Highway 2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur, across Kangpokpi district from Saturday evening until Sunday evening. The Working Committee of Kuki Civil Society Organisations, Ukhrul, separately announced an indefinite shutdown along National Highway 202, connecting Imphal and Ukhrul, from Saturday morning.The Manipur government condemned the killings and called for restraint. In a post on X, the chief minister’s office said Singh had instructed the authorities to take immediate and effective steps to control the situation, restore peace and order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens. Additional security forces were sent to the worst-affected districts.The latest killings have renewed concerns over the fragile security situation in Manipur, where ethnic violence since May 2023 has killed hundreds and displaced thousands. Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of Kuki tribes, strongly condemned “the series of coordinated, unprovoked, and brutal attacks carried out against innocent Kuki-Zo civilians across Chassad in Kamjong district, Yaolen in Ukhrul district, and the IT Road area in Kangpokpi district”.“These cowardly acts of aggression were orchestrated by NSCN-IM and NSCN-Eastern Flank elements in active collusion with state security forces, including Tangkhul state police and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB),” the tribal body said in a statement issued on Saturday.