Fresh violence has erupted in Manipur after armed confrontations between Kuki and Naga groups in Kamjong district triggered a series of arson attacks along the India-Myanmar border, leaving more than 30 houses destroyed and forcing residents to flee their villages.

The clashes, which began on Wednesday (July 1) and continued into Thursday, have prompted security forces to deploy additional personnel and launch area domination operations in the sensitive border region.

According to police officials quoted by Deccan Chronicle, the violence began in the Sahamphung police station area when armed men allegedly launched an attack on a Naga village from a neighbouring Kuki settlement, setting houses ablaze. The initial confrontation soon spiralled into retaliatory attacks, with several villages from both communities reporting incidents of arson.

Among the worst-hit areas was Phaimol, a Kuki-Zo village where nearly 20 houses were reportedly reduced to ashes by armed groups, forcing villagers to abandon their homes. Several Naga settlements, including Shangkalok, Kongkan Thana and Huimine Thana, also suffered extensive damage as houses and other structures were torched, according to the Deccan Chronicle report. No fatalities have been reported so far.

As the security situation deteriorated, rival organisations from both communities issued sharply conflicting versions of the incident and blamed each other for initiating the violence.

Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) alleged that cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), along with members of the Myanmar-based Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), crossed into the area and attacked Phaimol village.

According to The Hindu, the organisation also raised questions over security arrangements, pointing out that an Assam Rifles post in the village had been vacated just a day before the attack and demanded an inquiry into the withdrawal.

Naga organisations have firmly rejected these allegations, instead accusing armed Kuki groups, including elements of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and village volunteers, of orchestrating the attacks.

The Eastern Command Naga Village Guard claimed the arson was part of a pre-planned operation designed to create a pretext for attacks on nearby Tangkhul Naga villages. The organisation further alleged that 20 camps sheltering 365 refugees from Myanmar were also set on fire.

The latest flare-up has once again highlighted the fragile security situation in Manipur, where ethnic tensions remain high. The renewed violence comes only weeks after the recovery of the bodies of six Naga civilians in Kangpokpi district further deepened mistrust and hostilities between communities in the state.