5/5/2025 India (International Christian Concern) — Christians in northeast India marked the second anniversary of violence that struck Manipur in 2023. As the anniversary passed, a lasting peaceful solution to the brutal ethnic and communal conflict that erupted between the Hindu-majority Meitei and Christian-majority Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur is still nowhere in sight.
The violent and bloody clashes claimed more than 250 lives, displaced more than 60,000 people, and reduced thousands of homes, churches, temples, and other religious buildings to ashes.
The anniversary was marked with mass gatherings, shutdowns in both the Meitei-dominant Imphal valley and the Kuki-zo-dominated hill districts, bringing life to a grinding halt across Manipur on May 3.
The National United Christian Forum (NUCF) of India expressed deep concern over the continued violence in Manipur, calling upon the federal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take decisive measures to restore peace and disarm all militant groups.
The NUCF is a forum of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), and the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI).
In a statement signed by leaders of the three organizations, the NUCF said, “We are distressed by the suffering inflicted on all communities in Manipur, where over 250 lives were lost and more than 60,000 people were displaced from their homes. The destruction of over 300 churches and numerous homes represents not just buildings, but places where families and communities gathered to worship, find comfort, and build fellowship.”
This story was originally published in persecution.org. Read the full story here.