Naga Foothills Committee enforces blockade against alleged land encroachment by Kuki-Zo settlers

The Foothills Naga Co-ordinating Committee (FNCC) has imposed blockade at Leimakhong village near Kanglatongbi Maning in Imphal West from July 18, protesting against what it alleges to be illegal occupation attempts by illegal immigrants and Kuki-Zo refugees on ancestral Naga lands.
The Committee, in a statement, strongly condemned the reported encroachment by Kuki-Zo groups in the foothill areas traditionally inhabited and owned by various Naga tribes. According to the statement, these attempts are seen as part of a broader strategy to alter traditional land demarcations and undermine the historical and ancestral claims of the Nagas.
The Committee asserted that the illegal settlement efforts are not only a violation of indigenous land rights but also a direct challenge to the identity and existence of the Naga people in the region. It added that the activities of illegal immigrants and refugees—who fled into the state following the ethnic unrest—should not be used as an excuse to alter territorial integrity.
In a show of unity, members of the Naga and Rongmei communities organised a protest rally on July 18, marching through parts of the affected area. Protesters carried placards and shouted slogans, demanding the protection of Naga ancestral lands and calling upon the state government to take immediate action to prevent further encroachments.
Leaders from the Naga and Rongmei communities expressed deep resentment over recent claims made by certain Kuki-Zo groups, who, they allege, have declared Naga areas as part of their own territory. The rally aimed to send a clear message that such claims would not be tolerated.
The Foothills Naga Co-ordinating Committee has vowed to continue its agitation until the state government intervenes and ensures that the traditional and legally recognised boundaries of Naga villages and land are respected. The Committee also urged authorities to verify the background of settlers in the area and ensure that displaced persons are relocated within designated relief zones and not in indigenous lands.
The blockade at Leimakhong is expected to continue as tensions escalate over land ownership and ethnic identity in the sensitive foothill regions of Manipur.