Meitei leader's arrest: Protests continue in Manipur defying prohibitory orders
Protesters took out torchlight processions overnight, burnt a government building and clashed with security forces, defying prohibitory orders as Manipur continued to witness demonstrations over the arrests of a Meitei organisation leader and four others, police said on Monday (June 9, 2025)
Also read: Manipur government imposes curfew, Internet suspension in Bishnupur, four other districts
Clashes broke out between protesters and security personnel in Kwakeithel and Singjamei in Imphal West district, prompting the police to fire several rounds of tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the agitators, an officer said.
The Sub-Divisional Collector (SDC) Office at Yairipok Tulihal in Imphal East district was set on fire, causing partial damage to the building, and official records were destroyed, he said.
The police have initiated an investigation to identify the culprits behind the arson, the officer said, adding that security in the area has been heightened to prevent untoward incidents.
The demonstrators created mounds of soil on roads in Sekmai and Koirengei areas in Imphal West district to prevent the movement of security forces.
They burnt tyres in the middle of the roads and clashed with security forces in Wangkhei, Yairipok and Khurai in Imphal East district, and several rounds of tear gas shells were fired to disperse them, another officer said.
Burnt tyres with smoke billowing were seen on the roads in several localities across Imphal this morning.
"The situation continues to remain tense with protesters blocking several roads with bamboo sticks. Though several roadblocks, particularly on the Tiddim road that leads to the Imphal airport, have been cleared by security forces," a police officer said.
Women's groups joined the protests and held torchlight processions in Khurai, demanding the immediate formation of a government in the state, which is now under the President's rule.
Protests erupted across Manipur since Saturday (June 7) over the arrests of Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol leader Kanan Singh and four others.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it has arrested a member of Arambai Tenggol at Imphal Airport on Sunday for his alleged involvement in various criminal activities related to Manipur violence in 2023, while the police did not disclose details of the four others
Prohibitory orders imposed, internet suspended
Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts, while internet and mobile data services, including VSAT and VPN facilities, have been suspended in these valley areas since Saturday night after violent protests erupted across the state.
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Sunday held a security review meeting with senior officials in the wake of the demonstrations across the state.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
The Centre had on February 13 imposed the President's rule in the northeastern State after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned.
The State Assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.
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Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
Russia skirts Western sanctions to ramp up its military footprint in Africa
Even as it pounds Ukraine, Russia is expanding its military footprint in Africa, delivering sophisticated weaponry to sub-Saharan conflict zones where a Kremlin-controlled armed force is on the rise. Skirting sanctions imposed by Western nations, Moscow is using cargo ships to send tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and other high-value equipment to West Africa, The Associated Press has found. Relying on satellite imagery and radio signals, AP tracked a convoy of Russian-flagged cargo ships as they made a nearly one-month journey from the Baltic Sea. The ships carried howitzers, radio jamming equipment and other military hardware, according to military officials in Europe who closely monitored them. The deliveries could strengthen Russia's fledgling Africa Corps as Moscow competes with the United States, Europe and China for greater influence across the continent. The two-year-old Africa Corps, which has links to a covert branch of Russia's army, is ascendant at a time when US and European troops have been withdrawing from the region, forced out by sub-Saharan nations turning to Russia for security. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have been battling fighters linked with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for more than a decade. At first, mercenary groups with an arms-length relationship to the Kremlin entered the fray in Africa. But increasingly, Russia is deploying its military might, and intelligence services, more directly. We intend to expand our cooperation with African countries in all spheres, with an emphasis on economic cooperation and investments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. This cooperation includes sensitive areas linked to defense and security. From the ports, Russian weapons are trucked to Mali Russia's 8,800-tonne Baltic Leader and 5,800-tonne Patria are among hundreds of ships that Western nations have sanctioned to choke off resources for Russia's war in Ukraine. The ships docked and unloaded in Conakry, Guinea, in late May, AP satellite images showed. Other ships made deliveries to the same port in January. They delivered tanks, armoured vehicles and other hardware that was then trucked overland to neighbouring Mali, according to European military officials and a Malian blogger's video of the long convoy. The military officials spoke to AP about Russian operations on condition of anonymity. The AP verified the blogger's video, geolocating it to the RN5 highway leading into Bamako, the Malian capital. After the latest delivery in Conakry, trucks carrying Russian-made armoured vehicles, howitzers and other equipment were again spotted on the overland route to Mali. Malian broadcaster ORTM confirmed that the West African nation's army took delivery of new military equipment. AP analysis of its video and images filmed by the Malian blogger in the same spot as the January delivery identified a broad array of Russian-made hardware, including 152 mm artillery guns and other smaller canons. AP also identified a wheeled, BTR-80 armoured troop carrier with radio-jamming equipment, as well as Spartak armored vehicles and other armoured carriers, some mounted with guns. The shipment also included at least two semi-inflatable small boats, one with a Russian flag painted on its hull, as well as tanker trucks, some marked inflammable in Russian on their sides. The military officials who spoke to AP said they believe Russia has earmarked the most potent equipment notably the artillery and jamming equipment for its Africa Corps, not Malian armed forces. Africa Corps appears to have been given air power, too, with satellites spotting at least one Su-24 fighter-bomber at a Bamako air base in recent months. Moscow's notorious secret unit For years, French forces supported counterinsurgency operations in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. But France pulled out its troops after coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, in Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023. Russian mercenaries stepped into the vacuum. Wagner Group, the most notable, deployed to Sudan in 2017 and expanded to other African countries, often in exchange for mining concessions. It earned a reputation for brutality, accused by Western countries and UN experts of human rights abuses, including in Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. Of 33 African countries in which Russian military contractors were active, the majority were Wagner-controlled, according to US government-sponsored research by RAND. But after Wagner forces mutinied in Russia in 2023 and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed two months later in a suspicious plane crash, Moscow tightened its grip. Russian military operations in Africa were restructured, with the Kremlin taking greater control through Africa Corps. It is overseen by the commander of Unit 29155, one of the most notorious branches of Russia's shadowy GRU military intelligence service, according to the European Union. Unit 29155 has been accused of covertly attacking Western interests for years, including through sabotage and assassination attempts. The EU in December targeted Unit 29155 Maj Gen Andrey Averyanov with sanctions, alleging that he is in charge of Africa Corps operations. In many African countries, Russian forces provide security to military juntas that have overthrown legitimate democratic governments, gravely worsening the stability, security and democracy of the countries, the EU sanctions ruling said. These operations are financed by exploiting the continent's natural resources, the ruling added. The Russian Ministry of Defence didn't immediately respond to questions about Averyanov's role in Africa Corps. Africa Corps recruitment Researchers and military officials say the flow of weapons from Russia appears to be speeding Africa Corps' ascendancy over Wagner, helping it win over mercenaries that have remained loyal to the group. Africa Corps is also is recruiting in Russia, offering payments of up to 2.1 million rubles ($26,500), and even plots of land, for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense, plus more on deployment. Within days of the latest equipment delivery, Wagner announced its withdrawal from Mali, declaring mission accomplished" in a Telegram post. Africa Corps said in a separate post that it would remain. The changeover from Wagner to Africa Corps in Mali could be a forerunner for other similar transitions elsewhere on the continent, said Julia Stanyard, a researcher of Russian mercenary activity in Africa. Bringing in this sort of brand-new sophisticated weaponry, and new armoured vehicles and that sort of thing, is quite a bit of a shift, said Stanyard, of the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Armed groups in Mali have inflicted heavy losses on Malian troops and Russian mercenaries. The al-Qaida linked group JNIM killed dozens of soldiers in an attack this month on a military base. Insurgents also killed dozens of Wagner mercenaries in northern Mali last July. Some of the latest hardware could have been shipped over specifically in response to such attacks, military officials said. They said the jamming equipment, for example, could help defend against booby traps detonated using phone signals. Russian escort's red flags The latest convoy attracted attention because a Russian Navy warship, the Boykiy, escorted the ships after they set off in April from Russia's Kaliningrad region on the Baltic. Last October, in what's considered a hostile act, the Boykiy's radar systems locked onto a French Navy maritime surveillance plane on patrol against suspected Russian efforts to sabotage underwater cables, according to military officials. The convoy included a third sanctioned Russian cargo ship, the Siyanie Severa. It continued onward as Baltic Leader and Patria unloaded in Conakry, docking in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Satellite imagery from May 29 shows trucks lined up on the dock as the ship unloaded. The AP could not verify whether the cargo included weapons or the ultimate destination for the shipment, though Wagner has maintained a strong presence in the nearby Central African Republic. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Print
7 hours ago
- The Print
MHA resumes talks with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups after 2 yrs to discuss ‘way forward', renewal of SoO pact
According to government sources, the discussion revolved around opening of highways to ensure that free movement of people across the state without any obstruction, and the Kuki-Zo groups demanding a 'revision in the ground rules' of the SoO agreement. The talks were held with five members of Kuki Zo SoO groups, MHA's Northeast adviser A.K. Mishra and Intelligence Bureau officials Monday. New Delhi: After a gap of almost 2 years, the Ministry of Home Affairs resumed talks with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups in Manipur to discuss a 'way ahead' for a 'political solution' for the state and a broad outline for the suspension of operations (SoO) pact that remains in limbo. The surrender of weapons that were looted post 3 May, 2023, was also discussed in detail, the source said. National Highways-2 and 37, that connect the Imphal valley to Nagaland and Assam respectively, are critical for supply of essentials and other commodities. They pass through Kuki-Zo inhabited areas and have seen blockades and protests in the last 3 years, hindering supply of essentials. 'We are glad that the resumption of dialogue happened after so long. We discussed how to find a way forward. It is a good start, we covered many points in the discussion including revision of the ground rules of the SoO pact,' a leader who attended the meeting told ThePrint. 'The new ground rules which require rewording of many phrases has to be done. The second meeting will be held soon, hopefully within a week.' Before the violence erupted in the state, the key demand of the SoO groups was to have autonomous territorial councils within Manipur, which later changed to a separate administration for Kuki-Zo areas, defining it as a Union territory with a legislature. The SoO camps had become the focal point of the ongoing conflict in the state as former CM N. Biren Singh, time and again, accused these cadres of 'contributing to the escalation of violence'. The camps were established as part of a pact signed on 22 August, 2008, between the Kuki militant groups and the central and Manipur governments, in light of the Kuki-Naga clashes in the 1990s. According to the SoO agreement, members of these groups were required to suspend their operation as insurgents and stay within designated camps with their weapons securely stored in safe zones under a double-locking system. The agreement has been periodically extended each year, except on 29 February last year when the Manipur government pulled out from the tripartite pact. There is now a demand to relocate the SoO camps away from areas near the valley districts—which has a concentration of Meitei population—and to reduce the number of camps from 14 to 7. 'The discussion on the renewal of the camps has not yet happened. It is an ongoing process,' a government source said. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Manipur on edge after arrest of radical Meitei leader—ex-cop wanted for abduction of senior officer
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Protests against arrest of Arambai Tenggol leader continues in Manipur; two policemen injured
'Manipur continued to witness protests as demonstrators defied Prohibitory Orders and clashed with security forces across several districts of Imphal valley demanding the unconditional release of the arrested Arambai Tenggol leader Kanan Singh and four others,' police said on Tuesday (June 10, 2025). Clashes erupted in Khurai Lamlong area of Imphal East district on Monday (June 9, 2025) night, prompting security personnel to fire several rounds of tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. 'At least one four-wheeler was reportedly torched by the protesters,' police said. Protests, such as roadblocks and burning of tyres, were also held in Thoubal and Kakching districts. Tensions also flared in Tera area of Imphal West district on Monday (June 9, 2025) evening when unidentified miscreants fired at security forces. "At least seven rounds from small firearms were fired in Tera area when CRPF personnel were clearing roadblocks put up by protesters. Paramilitary forces along with State police rushed to carry out search operations to nab the culprits, but protesters foiled further in-depth search operations," an official said. In Bishnupur district's Nambol, at least two police personnel sustained minor injuries during a confrontation with demonstrators. "An FIR has been registered following an incident in Nambol after two Manipur Police personnel were injured during a confrontation with protesters," officials said. According to authorities, the injuries occurred while a team led by Bishnupur SP attempted to clear roadblocks along Nambol Road, which led to a clash between protesters and security forces. On Tuesday (June 10, 2025) morning, the streets of Imphal witnessed normal business activities with many rushing to purchase essential items from roadside vendors.
