A gunfight between two unidentified armed groups in a village near the India-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district resulted in the killing of 13 people. This incident marks the deadliest bloodshed since the sectarian strife erupted in the state. The police confirmed the firefight and the death toll. While no official information about the identities of those killed has been disclosed, security sources suggest that the deceased are likely hardcore members of a Myanmar-based insurgent group.

According to a security source, the gunfight broke out between a group of about 24 members and suspected cadres of Myanmar’s pro-democracy People’s Defence Force near the border early in the morning. It is speculated that a group of insurgents from Myanmar was ambushed by rivals from the hills in Leithao, resulting in the fatalities. Armed rebels from Myanmar have been infiltrating into Manipur through the porous border in large numbers in recent times, taking advantage of the conflict in the state. The specific group involved in Monday’s gunfight reportedly infiltrated through the jungle route, avoiding security forces.

The conflict between Myanmar’s junta soldiers and the People’s Defence Force in the Sagaing region along the international border has made the area less safe for Indian insurgent groups that had established bases with support from the Myanmarese military decades ago.