Breaches Of International Humanitarian Law
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Dr. Yumnam Premananda Singh *

BREACHES OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW BY KUKI ARMED GROUPS WITH ITS FOREIGN MERCENARIES AND ARMED FORCES OF INDIA VIS-À-VIS TARGETING CIVILIAN AND CIVILIAN OBJECTS OF MEITEI ETHNIC GROUP IN MANIPUR DURING MAY 3 – JUNE 7, 2023
Dr. Yumnam Premananda Singh
Associate Professor & Head
Department of Law, Manipur University

Abstract

Non-international armed conflict situation exists in Manipur. The parties to the conflict are Manipur Police supported by Indian armed forces and Kuki armed groups with its foreign mercenaries. During the conflict both the parties violate rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and there is an allegation that killing of Meitei by Kuki armed groups and its organizational apparatus for accomplishing its goal is a part of their genocidal campaign against Meitei ethnic group.

It is found that Kuki armed groups violate most of the civilized norms of IHL and their attacks are targeting civilians, civilian objects and cultural heritage of mankind. Indiscriminate attacks directed against civilian population, ordering that there shall be no survivors, use of starvation of civilian population as a method of warfare aiming at extermination of Meitei ethnic group are war crimes and crimes against humanity. All such flagrant violation of IHL needs to be accountable and punished under International Law so that humanity will be saved.

Key words: Civilian, civilian objects, Genocide, indiscriminate attack, International Humanitarian Law, Kuki armed groups, Meitei ethnic group, non-international armed conflict, mercenaries

Introduction

Killing of civilian, burning of houses, abduction of Meitei civilians, pillaging of Meitei villages, forcible transfer of Meitei population, vandalism to cultural heritage of mankind, blockade and starvation as a method of warfare, no security measures in non-defended localities/villages, Indian army standing as gentle as mountain, sit in protest against government of failed state, stoic silence of Government of India is daily news of Manipur for the last 37 days (since May 3, 2023) (as on 7.06.2023).

Meitei settling in Kuki dominated areas and foothills of Manipur are deserting their villages to save their lives and taking refuge in relief camps and whole world is watching the movie – the genocide of Meitei by Kuki: Live show. Thousands of Indian Army and other Central Forces are flooded in Manipur but they could not control few hundreds of wild Kuki armed groups and its foreign mercenaries with highly sophisticated weapons. The strength and valour of Indian Army is a mockery in Manipur or is there any hidden agenda of Government of India is a question of the hour.

Manipur Police, Village Defence Force, IRB, Manipur Rifles which are not trained for the war or conflict situation are fighting for saving Meitei villages and Meitei civilian. It is very surprised that most of the Kuki armed groups are under Suspension of Operations (SoO) with Governments of India and Manipur but they violate ground rules of SoO and killing civilians and burning Meitei villages wantonly in broad daylight. From where all those sophisticated weapons, bombs, landmines, crores of bullets in the hands of Kuki armed groups comes from and who are supporting them – another big question.

It also evident that illegal armed groups from Myanmar and other countries are also taking direct part in the military campaign along with Kuki armed groups. This sorry state of affairs where there is no rule of law but only rule of arms and no writ of Government reach to those areas of conflict – all these remind me the dreaded genocide episode of Rwanda in 1994s and armed conflict in former Yugoslavia, East Timor and Sierra Leone.

In this background I think as a teacher of law it is my duty to write a research paper on the matter and publish it so that all the world knows the facts and applicable law and make a public opinion in order to prevent and punish of those involved in the violation of IHL rules in Manipur during 3rd May 2023 till the end of the military campaign for exterminating Meitei ethnic group, one of the indigenous people of Manipur from its own soil.

At the time of writing the paper (The Sangai Express, June 7, 2023) – the number of deaths on account of the conflict in Manipur has mounted to 120 (unofficially it may climb up to thousands) while the figure of injured stands at 310 (unofficially it may climb up to thousands) and the police have taken up 3734 FIR so far in connection with the conflict in Manipur and arrested 65 persons. There are reports of direct involvement of armed cadres of SoO groups in the present armed conflicts which erupted as a new dimension from May 3, 2023.

Scores of people have been killed, hundreds of houses burnt down and over 50,000 people (unofficially number may climb up to over 1,00,000) have been rendered homeless because of this ongoing armed conflict (The Sangai Express, May 27, 2023) and currently these internally displaced persons are taking refuge at 235 relief camps (The Sangai Express, May 20, 2023).

The Government of Manipur has declared 38 areas are vulnerable (The Sangai Express, May 27, 2023) for deployment of security forces. It is submitted here that some areas which are not yet declared as vulnerable for deployment of security forces are also attacked indiscriminately by the Kuki armed groups – it means any area of Manipur where indigenous Meitei are settling is not safe and Kuki armed groups may target them and burn their houses or burnt them alive along with their houses any time. The situation is a full-scale war.

In this research paper I intentionally excluded involvement of Myanmar’s or other foreign non-state actors who have crossed international border and helping the Kuki armed groups in ongoing armed conflict in Manipur as mercenaries, that matter will be discussed in another research paper. The present research paper covers only from May 3 – June 7, 2023 (37 days of continuous war).

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