More than three years after the Meitei-Kuki clashes plunged Manipur into a prolonged conflict, a political settlement between the two communities remains out of reach. The state now faces a deepening Kuki-Naga fault line. The killing of four Naga civilians this week in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district perpetuates the disturbing cycle of violence. It comes after the murder of Kuki-Thadou church pastors in May, which was followed by retaliatory abductions on both sides; a month later, the bodies of six Naga men were recovered. Other episodes of killing and houses being set ablaze have kept the state on edge. The state government must immediately identify the perpetrators of the recent violence and arrest them. But it will need to do much more to break the chain of violence.

The growing difficulty in ensuring the peaceful co-existence of communities is evident in the blockades imposed by Meitei, Kuki and Naga groups, which have turned Manipur’s roads and highways into contested spaces. The blockades disrupt supplies, raise the cost of food and fuel, and restrict access to healthcare. Kangpokpi district — between Naga-dominated Senapati district to the north and the Meitei-dominated valley districts to the south — is the worst affected. Recent RTI data has revealed that more than 700 internally displaced people have died in relief camps. Security forces have had very little success in ensuring the safe movement of convoys carrying essential supplies.

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The return of a state government, led by Yumnam Khemchand Singh, in February, after almost a year of President’s Rule, had offered hopes of reconciliation. That the government led by a Meitei chief minister, with deputy CMs from the Kuki and Naga communities, has so far found little success in pulling the state back from the brink shows how deeply the divisions have hardened. Political representation alone cannot resolve the conflict when the communities remain socially segregated. Dialogue and a sustained political process, in which all communities have a stake and civil society leaders are empowered, are the only ways forward. Every claim over land and identity cannot be resolved overnight; the immediate goal must be to establish a framework in which people can safely move, trade and live as neighbours. The disarming of militant groups and a crackdown on extremist elements, too, must be pursued with equal urgency.