Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho said on Thursday (May 14, 2026) that negotiations are on to secure the release of at least 44 civilians who have been held hostage by Kuki and Naga groups in the Kangpokpi and Senapati districts. Those abducted include an infant and two Naga Catholic trainee priests, said Mr. Dikho, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the State government. The civilians were abducted following the killing of three Thadou church leaders in the Kangpokpi district on May 13.

Speaking with The Hindu, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the killing of church leaders who were returning from a religious convention in Churachandpur was “unprecedented” as such attacks did not occur even at the height of previous conflicts. A section of the Thadous say they are distinct from the Kuki group of tribes.

‘No group claimed responsibility’

“Their vehicles clearly displayed the name plates that they were from the church. The leaders who were working for peace were attacked; this is unfortunate. In all the conflicts so far, church leaders were never attacked,” Mr. Dikho said. He further said that none of the militant groups have claimed responsibility for the killings and the incident was reported just two days before the proposed visit of Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh to Churachandpur, a Kuki-Zomi area.

The 18 missing Nagas include 11 women, six men and an infant, the Deputy CM said, adding that seven of them are yet to be traced. There are 28 Kuki hostages and two of them, including a minor girl and a person addicted to narcotics, were released by the Naga groups, he said.

“We have been trying to find an amicable solution and while talks were on with Kuki and Naga groups till late on Thursday, we have not been able to reach a conclusion. At least 11 Nagas are present at the camp of a Kuki SoO (insurgent group in Suspension of Operations pact with the government) group but the whereabouts of seven others are not known yet. This has led to delay in the release of all hostages,” said Mr. Dikho, who belongs to the Naga People’s Front, an alliance partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Since April 7, Manipur has witnessed 15 killings, including that of two children in Bishnupur. The killings continue even as Ukhrul, a Naga-dominated district, has seen a fresh conflict emerge between Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis.

More than 260 people have been killed in ethnic violence that erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in 2023, and is now gradually spreading to include tensions between the Nagas and Kuki-Zo groups.

Two security officials said that one of the factions of the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), a Naga insurgent group, is a major suspect in the attack on the church leaders but all other angles are being probed. In a statement, the group has denied any involvement in the attack.