UNC suspends blockade, agrees to take back bodies of 6 slain Naga men
SoO pact not yet extended : Centre to UNC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 26 2026: Subsequent upon an agreement reached at a tripartite talk held amongst the Government of India, Government of Manipur and the United Naga Council (UNC) at Guwahati today, the UNC has suspended the ongoing economic blockade with effect from 6 pm of September 26 .

The UNC has also appreciated the cooperation and solidarity extended by all concerned during the course of the agitation.

The UNC has also agreed to take back the mutilated bodies of the six Naga men, which are still lying unclaimed at the mortuary of JNIMS, since the evening of June 10 .

UNC suspends blockade, agrees to take back bodies of 6 slain Naga men

Talking to The Sangai Express, president of the UNC, Ng Lorho officials of the Union Home Ministry of assuraing, 'if evidence and proofs emerge of the involvement of the KNF (P) in the abduction and later massacre of the six Naga men, then action would be initiated against the said outfit and its chairman, Thangboi Kipgen' .

On the demand raised by the UNC to abrogate the SoO pact with the Kuki armed groups, particularly with the KNF (P), general secretary of the UNC Vareiyo Shatshang quoted the Central officials as stating, 'The SoO pact expired on September 4 this year, as it was signed on September 4, 2025 and it has not been extended' .

The general secretary further said that the officials of the Union Home Ministry assured that all assistance would be extended to the children of the slain Naga men, besides providing employment to the next of kins of the murdered men.

The Centre has also agreed to give ex-gratia to the next of kins of the six murdered Naga men and added that the amount would be fixed under the existing norms.

Other than these, the Central team also reminded the UNC representatives that a decision not to locate the SoO camps anywhere near areas inhabited by the Nagas and Meiteis had been taken earlier and it still stands.

"We had a lengthy deliberation in connection with the economic blockade.

We have come to an agreement that the Government will address the demands of the UNC, and we will temporarily end the blockade.

Our demands are the revocation of the SoO (Suspension of Operations agreement), the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and justice for the six Naga men," UNC president Ng Lorho told The Indian Express.

The decision followed a tripartite meeting between a UNC delegation, representatives of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Manipur Government at the BSF Frontier Headquarters Officers' Mess in Garbhanga, Assam, on Saturday.

The meeting began at 11 am and focused on the Naga body's demands and measures to address the law-and-order situation.

The blockade, in force since June 11, escalated on September 9 when the UNC turned it into an indefinite blockade of multiple routes.

The agitation disrupted the movement of goods on National Highways 2, 37, 202 and 102A, severely affecting supplies to the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo dominated hill districts.

The UNC had launched the blockade over the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei village in May.

Its principal demands included action against those responsible for the killings, revocation of the Suspension of Operations agreements with Kuki armed groups, and Kipgen's removal.

Kuki-Zo-dominated districts, which depend on supply routes passing through Naga-dominated areas, were impacted.

Kangpokpi was among the worst affected, while Churachandpur, Tengnoupal and Pherzawl faced constraints in the movement of essential goods and access to healthcare supplies.

The UNC's decision to temporarily lift the blockade comes after earlier rounds of talks with State authorities failed to resolve the issue.

A high-level meeting between Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and the UNC in Senapati on July 8 ended without a breakthrough, with the Naga body refusing to withdraw the blockade on NH-2 and insisting on justice for the six Naga civilians. A subsequent round of talks on August 10 was described by the State Government as a "fruitful and cordial" beginning and an "icebreaker", with both sides agreeing to continue discussions.

The UNC, however, made clear that it would not lift the blockade until its four-point demands were met.

With the talks failing to yield an agreement, the UNC escalated the blockade on September 9, extending it indefinitely to NH-2, NH-202, NH-37 and NH-102A.The Saturday meeting in Assam was the first tripartite engagement involving the Centre, the State Government and the UNC .