NPMHR condemns drone strikes and endless human suffering in ‘forgotten killing fields’

Special Correspondent 
Ukhrul, October 25:
The Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) has issued a strongly worded statement expressing grave concern and outrage over the continued military atrocities and drone attacks targeting innocent Naga civilians in areas straddling the Indo-Myanmar border. In what it described as a “never-ending nightmare,” NPMHR accused both India and Myanmar of turning Naga territories into killing fields, where entire villages have been razed, civilians displaced, and lives shattered for decades.
Recalling the history of Naga self-determination, the NPMHR reminded that even before India and Burma (now Myanmar) attained independence on August 15, 1947, and January 4, 1948, respectively, the Nagas had already declared their own independence on August 14, 1947. The organisation reiterated that the Naga homeland—stretching approximately 120,000 square kilometres across India, Myanmar, and parts of China—was never part of any of these nations under colonial or post-colonial rule.
The statement recounted decades of horrific experiences faced by Naga villagers, particularly in Myanmar, where Burmese troops have routinely raided, burnt, and looted entire settlements, leaving behind trails of devastation and landmines that have maimed and killed countless humans and animals alike.
NPMHR recalled a tragic episode from January 1990, when displaced Naga villagers from across the border arrived at Pangsha village and Noklak town seeking food and shelter after their homes were destroyed. Members of the organisation, along with volunteers from Kohima and Dimapur, mobilised emergency supplies of food, medicine, and clothing. Under heavy military surveillance by Indian paratroopers stationed in Pangsha, NPMHR had to disguise themselves as Red Cross workers to deliver relief to the starving villagers, many of whom were left naked and scavenging forests for survival.
In 1998, after the ceasefire between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM), NPMHR and the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) visited Throilo and Hoyat villages, where they met the late Naga leaders S.S. Khaplang and Gen. Kholi Konyak. Even then, they witnessed disturbing scenes—villages rebuilt over burnt remains, livestock with amputated limbs from landmines, and traumatised women and children living under constant fear. Villagers had to hide cooking utensils in fields to prevent looting by Burmese soldiers, who often destroyed homes and slaughtered animals for food.
Highlighting the continued plight of the Naga people even in the 21st century, the NPMHR accused the Indian military of using remote Naga villages as “testing grounds for modernised weapons,” including drones. The organisation cited the October 20, 2025 drone attack at Khenmoi-Loiyi village, which destroyed the home of Maj. Gen. Peyong Konyak and killed his eldest son, Khampei Wangsa, along with an eight-year-old girl named Phiphot. Several others were seriously injured in the strike.
When a team from the Indian Red Cross Society in Mon District attempted to visit the site to provide medical aid, they were reportedly stopped by the Indian Army at Longwa junction, who claimed that open intervention “might attract international attention.” NPMHR also linked this to an earlier drone strike on July 13, 2025, in Hoyat village, terming it “a deliberate pattern of lethal experimentation on human lives.”
The statement drew parallels to the Oting Massacre of December 4–5, 2021, when Indian soldiers ambushed and killed innocent civilians using Israeli-made IWI Tavor rifles. NPMHR alleged that India appears “intent on outdoing its Israeli counterparts” by deploying advanced foreign weaponry and drone technologies against its own citizens in the Northeast, targeting anyone who resists or questions its authority.
In the Oting case, the Indian army reportedly infiltrated Nagaland from Assam without informing their counterparts posted in Nagaland—a violation that shocked even local security units. Similarly, the recent Khenmoi-Loiyi drone attack was said to have been launched from inside Arunachal Pradesh.
“The NPMHR feels frustratingly inadequate to merely condemn such brutal and sadistic acts of human degradation,” the statement read. “We call upon all Nagas to get their acts together if we are to survive as a people.”
The organisation expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of Khampei Wangsa and young Phiphot, offering prayers for their families and a speedy recovery for the injured. It further thanked the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) for its “meaningful interventions” and solidarity with unrepresented nations and oppressed communities around the world.
The NPMHR concluded its release with a warning that unless the Naga people unite and assert their rights collectively, their struggle for dignity, peace, and self-determination will remain under the shadow of drone warfare and military oppression — a grim reminder that for many Nagas, living remains a never-ending nightmare.