Kuki National Front (KNF) is a Kuki militant organisation operating in the state of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

, India. Its professed goal is to achieve a 'Kukiland' state within the framework of the

Indian constitution The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and ...

. At present, it has split into multiple factions which have joined the umbrella groups

Kuki National Organisation The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) is a political organisation that currently serves as an umbrella organisation for about a dozen Kuki-Zo militant groups in Manipur, India. It was established in 1988, with the aim of representing the interest ...

(KNO) and United People's Front (UPF) along with a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Government of India.

Background

Until 1986, the

Kuki people The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At pr ...

participated in the Greater Mizoram movement of the

Mizo National Front The Mizo National Front ( MNF) is a regional political party in Mizoram, India. MNF emerged from the Mizo National Famine Front, which was formed by Pu Laldenga to protest against the inaction of the Government of India towards the famine situ ...

. The signing of the Mizo Accord left them in the lurch, and also created a "security void" with respect to the Naga militant group

National Socialist Council of Nagaland The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga militant and separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, northeastern part of India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar. The main aim of the organisation is reportedly ...

(NSCN) formed in 1980. NSCN had the agenda of creating "Greater Nagalim" containing all the Naga-inhabited areas in various states, in particular Manipur. Naga areas were interlaced with Kuki villages in northern hills of Manipur. The Naga integration movement resorted to the use of threat and forcible eviction of

Thadou Kukis Thadou people, also called Thadou Kukis, are the Thadou language-speaking Kuki people inhabiting Northeast India, Burma, and Bangladesh. "Thadou" is also the name of a particular clan among the Thadou Kukis. Other clans of Thadou Kukis include H ...

living among their midst. The Kuki National Front (KNF) and the

(KNO), along with its armed wing

Kuki National Army The Kuki National Army (KNA) is a Kuki people, Kuki Insurgency, insurgent group active in Upper Myanmar and in pockets of Northeast India. It is the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation. History The Kuki National Army (KNA) was founde ...

(KNA), were formed in the face of these developments in 1988. Whereas KNF is based in

Kangpokpi Kangpokpi ( Meitei pronunciation:/kāng-pōk-pī/), is the headquarter of Kangpokpi district and the Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council in the Indian state of Manipur. Geography It is located at an elevation of 1000 m above sea level.ht ...

, KNO operates in all the Kuki-inhabited areas in India and Myanmar, except for

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

History

The Kuki National Front was formed on 18 May 1988 at Molnoi village along the India–Myanmar border. Nehkholun (Nehlun) Kipgen was its founder chairman."Question of Kukiland" (interview of K. S. Bonsing)
''North-East Sun'', 1–14 October 2000. The base of the organisation is nevertheless

, India. Yambem Laba, The search for Kukiland, Imphal Free Press, 16 December 2012. The objective of the organisation has been to achieve a separate 'Kukiland' state within India consisting of the districts of Sadar Hills (

Churachandpur Churachandpur ( IPA: ''/tʃʊRVːˌtʃaːnɗpʊr/),'' locally known as Lamka is the second largest town in the Indian state of Manipur and the district headquarters of the Churachandpur district. The name "Churachandpur" was transferred from ...

– Pherzawl and parts of Tamenglong– Chandel and

Ukhrul Ukhrul District( Tangkhul pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/ is one of the hilly disctrict in the state of Manipur, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries an ...

.Kuki National Front reiterates Kukiland demand on 25th anniversary
The Times of India, 20 May 2012. Some 300 KNF guerrillas are said to have undergone training with the

Kachin Independence Army The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: ''Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Hpyen Dap''; ) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins in Northern Myanmar ...

in Myanmar. They may have also collaborated with

United Liberation Front of Assam The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is an armed separatist insurgent organisation, that operates in the Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people throu ...

for armed training. From 1992, the KNF, along with KNA, locked horns with the Naga militant group

NSCN-IM The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga militant and separatist group operating mainly in northeastern part of India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar. The main aim of the organisation is reportedly to establish th ...

, as part of the Kuki-Naga clashes. Nehlun Kipgen was killed in an encounter with the

Central Reserve Police Force The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The CRPF assists states and Union Territories in maintaining law and order and internal security. It is composed of the Cent ...

(CRPF) in Kangpokpi area. After this, KNF split into multiple factions, including: * KNF (Military Council), headed by Hemlal alias Th. German,KNF-MC chief German attacked, escort injured
Chronicle News Service, 2 August 2024. * KNF (President group), headed by Thangboi Kipgen, which in turn produced further splinter groups: ** KNF (Zogam), headed by Joshua Haokip, and ** KNF (Samuel), led by T. Samuel Haokip.KNO welcomes KNF (Samuel)
The Sangai Express, via e-pao.net, 13 August 2010. After some internecine attempts in the 2000s, eleven militant groups gathered under the umbrella of Kuki National Organisation in 2008, which included KNF (Military Council) and KNF (Zogam). KNF (Samuel) also joined the organisation in 2010. The KNF (President group) joined another umbrella organisation called United People's Front (UPF). All these groups entered into a Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the Government of India and the Government of Manipur in August 2008. These groups are now collectively referred to as "SoO groups".

Notes

References

; Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * {{citation , last=Zou , first=S. Thangboi , title=Emergent Micro-National Communities: The Logic of Kuki-Chin Armed Struggle in Manipur , journal=Strategic Analysis , volume=36 , number=2 , date=2012 , pages=315–327 , doi=10.1080/09700161.2012.646509 , ref={{sfnref, Zou, Emergent Micro-National Communities, 2012 Rebel groups in India 1988 establishments in India Military units and formations established in 1988 Organisations based in Manipur Kuki organisations