Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Friday, 4 September visited the Kuki-Zo tribal-inhabited Kangpokpi district and appealed to all communities to collectively renounce violence and work toward lasting peace — particularly for the state's younger generation. The visit, which included a public interaction at Christian Centre Church, Leimakhong, marked one of the senior-most political outreach efforts to the region since ethnic hostilities erupted in May 2023.

Chief Minister's Appeal for Forgiveness and Unity

Addressing residents at the public interaction programme, Chief Minister Singh expressed personal anguish over the displacement crisis, noting that internally displaced persons (IDPs) from both the Meitei and Kuki communities had shared the same longing — to return to their homes and villages. He said the ethnic conflict had inflicted equal pain and suffering across all communities, cutting across identity lines.

Singh called on residents to forgive and move past the events since May 2023, stressing the need to rebuild trust between communities. 'We are all under the guidance of God and must, therefore, strive to live in harmony and refrain from causing hardship and suffering to one another,' he said. He added that collective efforts to shun violence were essential to securing a stable future for Manipur's youth.

Water Supply Inspection at L. Champhai Village

The Chief Minister also visited L. Champhai Village in Kangpokpi district to inspect a water supply project. The main water supply pipe — which serves the Thangmeiband locality in central Imphal — was damaged during the ethnic violence of May 2023 and has remained non-functional since. Senior officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) informed Singh that restoration work would be completed within one month, after which potable water supply to villagers would resume.

Chief Minister Singh, accompanied by three legislators — Haokholet Kipgen, Heikham Dingo Singh, and Kh. Joykisan Singh — assured full government support for the project's smooth execution and confirmed that security forces would be deployed to facilitate the work. He urged Thangkhomang, Chairman of L. Champhai Village, to extend full cooperation to PHED officials.

Healthcare Upgrade Promised for Leimakhong

On the healthcare front, Chief Minister Singh said he would consider upgrading the existing Primary Health Centre at Leimakhong to a Community Health Centre. Acknowledging that the formal upgrade process could take time, he assured that specialist and super-specialist doctors from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) would be arranged to visit Leimakhong in the interim to provide medical care to local residents.

Local MLA Haokholet Kipgen described Leimakhong as a 'Mini Manipur,' noting that the area is home to Meitei, Kuki, Naga, Nepali, and Bihari communities living together. He expressed hope that the region would soon return to its pre-crisis state. MLA Kh. Joykisan Singh appealed for a shared identity, saying: 'We need to inculcate the sense of collective identity by identifying ourselves as Manipuris rather than emphasising the communities to which we belong.'

Outreach to Women's Groups in Imphal West

After returning from Leimakhong, Chief Minister Singh visited Kanto Sabal village in Imphal West district, where he met members of the Women Welfare Organisation. He heard their grievances and concerns and assured them of all possible government support. The visit underscored the administration's stated intent to engage civil society alongside infrastructure and peace-building efforts.

Context: Over Two Years of Ethnic Conflict

Manipur has been gripped by ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023, resulting in hundreds of deaths, widespread displacement, and the breakdown of inter-community trust. The conflict has rendered thousands of IDPs unable to return home. Friday's visit by the Chief Minister to a predominantly Kuki-Zo district — accompanied by MLAs from multiple communities — is being seen as a step toward political outreach, though critics and civil society groups have repeatedly flagged that durable peace requires structural reconciliation beyond symbolic visits.