- The UNC lifted its highway blockade from 6 pm on 26 September, calling the move temporary.
- Its demands: scrap the SoO ceasefire pact, remove Deputy CM Nemcha Kipgen, and justice for six Naga men killed in May.
- The blockade, in place since 11 June, had cut supplies of food and medicine to the valley and Kuki-Zo districts.
The United Naga Council (UNC) suspended its economic blockade of Manipur's national highways from 6 pm on 26 September 2026, after talks with the Union Home Ministry and the Manipur government at a BSF base near Guwahati. The blockade began on 11 June, after the bodies of six Naga men were found, and was widened on 9 September. It hit supplies to the Imphal Valley and to Kuki-Zo hill districts. UNC president Ng. Lorho said the government promised to address its demands, but the Centre did not publicly confirm any specific commitment.
Claim by claim
The UNC suspended its blockade from 6 pm on 26 September after tripartite talks with the Centre and the state.
The Hindu and India Today NE quote the UNC statement announcing the suspension.
The Hindu · India Today NEThe government said the UNC's demands would be addressed.
Said by Ng. Lorho, UNC presidentThis is the UNC's account. No public statement from the Home Ministry on specific commitments was found; The Sangai Express reported the Centre told the UNC the SoO pact had not been extended.
The Hindu · The Indian ExpressThe blockade began on 11 June, a day after the bodies of six Naga civilians were recovered.
The Hindu and The Sangai Express both date the blockade from 11 June and link it to the killing of six Naga civilians.
The Hindu · The Sangai ExpressWhat each side says
The UNC said it paused the blockade temporarily because the government agreed to address its demands, and that the Pilong killings were raised in the talks.
The Hindu · The Indian ExpressKuki-Zo-majority districts such as Kangpokpi, which depend on routes through Naga areas, were among the worst hit by shortages of goods and medicine, The Sangai Express reported.
The Sangai ExpressFormer chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said the BJP-led governments were behaving as if unconcerned by civilian killings and questioned security on the Myanmar border.
The Times of IndiaNot yet known
- ?What, if anything, the Centre and the state formally agreed to.
- ?Whether the UNC will reimpose the blockade if its demands are not met.
Sources
5 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.
- The HinduManipur Naga body decides to lift highway blockades
- The Indian ExpressNaga leadership agrees to open key Manipur highway after talks with Centre in Assam
- India Today NEUNC suspends Manipur highway blockade after talks with Centre, state government
- The Sangai ExpressUNC suspends blockade, agrees to take back bodies of 6 slain Naga men; SoO pact not yet extended: Centre to UNC
- The Times of India2 more Naga men killed as ethnic violence flares up in Manipur again
Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.