Meitei and Naga groups held rallies in Imphal, Chandel and Senapati on 31 October 2026, demanding that the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki-Zo militant groups be scrapped, after the killing of three Meitei men in an ambush.

• Origin: A tripartite agreement signed on 22 August 2008 between the Centre, the Manipur government and Kuki militant groups under two umbrella bodies, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF).
• Terms: Militants stay in designated camps and keep their weapons under security arrangements, and refrain from violence, while a political settlement is negotiated. About 2,200 cadres from 25 groups were housed in 14 camps.
• Renewal: Extended year by year. It was last renewed on 4 September 2025, for one year.
• Separate Naga truce: The Naga groups have their own ceasefire arrangements, which are different from the SoO.

• Ethnic violence since May 2023: The conflict between the Meitei (valley) and Kuki-Zo (hills) communities led many Meitei and Naga groups to blame the pact for letting armed cadres move freely.
• Compliance doubts: The empty camp suggests cadres were outside the camps, which is a core breach of the pact’s terms.
• Political pressure: The Manipur Assembly adopted a resolution in February 2024 seeking its abrogation, and Naga bodies now say Kuki-Zo groups are involved in violence.

• Internal security: How the Centre handles armed groups will decide whether peace talks and disarmament can resume.
• Federalism and law and order: The dispute raises the Centre’s duty to protect States and the State government’s accountability.
• National integration: Meitei-Naga unity against the pact shows how deep the divisions in the State run.

• Trust deficit: The Meitei, Naga and Kuki-Zo communities distrust one another and the security forces.
• Illegal arms and cadres: Weapons looted in 2023 and cadres outside camps remain a risk.
• Displacement: Thousands of displaced people are yet to be resettled.
• Policy vacuum: There is no pact in force and no new framework.

• SoO agreement: Signed on 22 August 2008, tripartite, with KNO and UPF.
• Assam Rifles: The oldest paramilitary force, raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy, under the Ministry of Home Affairs with operational control by the Army.
• Article 355: The Union’s duty to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance.