Reports of armed groups from Myanmar joining “rebel forces” in Manipur to fight Manipur security forces have experts worried the ongoing civil war in Myanmar is destabilizing its neighbors, with Manipur potentially taking the full brunt of the instability.
From opondia.com:
Gunfire started between armed Kuki militants, reportedly comprising of the Kuki National Army (KNA) and People’s Defence Force (PDF) of Myanmar and security personnel, including paramilitary units, Assam Rifles, and Border Security Force at 9:30 am.
Furthermore, there has been extensive looting and arson and many private dwellings, including that of a journalist, have been set on fire. Reportedly at least 30 houses were burnt down. According to senior police authorities, the structures and locations targeted today were those that have previously been struck in other attacks. It included the houses of the Meitei community people who had fled the area during previous violence.
Manipur investigators originally thought the foreigners present in the assault were terrorists imported from other parts of the world, but now they’ve come to believe the shooters came from Myanmar.
Manipur is an Indian state in the northeast region of the country. The actions are raising India’s concerns about the ongoing turmoil in Myanmar which, thus far, they’ve tried to stay out of. They recently reached out to the Myanmar Junta in hopes of potentially brokering a peace between the Junta and the factions that oppose it.
As long as the Junta continues to fail in consolidating its power, more and more of its neighbors are liable to grow impatient with the violent regime.
2 thoughts on “Myanmar Conflict Spills into Manipur”