The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), currently engaged in talks with the Centre over the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, announced on Tuesday that a mass rally will be held on Wednesday across all Kuki-Zo majority districts, pressing for an early and lasting political settlement.

The rally, to be held under the banner of the KZC, is being spearheaded in Churachandpur by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised Kuki-Zo tribes. It seeks to urge the Centre to expedite the “long-pending political solution” for the Kuki-Zo people — specifically the creation of a Union Territory (UT) with legislature. The KZC stated that Kuki-Zo people “cannot continue” under the existing administrative arrangement in conflict-torn Manipur.

In a statement, the KZC called upon the Kuki-Zo community to participate peacefully and in unity, “reaffirming our collective resolve to secure a just, dignified, and lasting political solution.”

“It has been almost three years, yet no concrete political solution has been delivered by the government. This rally is thus being organised to peacefully and urgently convey the necessity of the Kuki-Zo people’s political demand,” the statement said.

The KZC said that over 40,000 Kuki-Zo people remain displaced following unprecedented violence, mass killings, and destruction of homes and places of worship. Given these realities, the community has formally and democratically sought a Union Territory with legislature from the Government of India.

The rally comes amid efforts to restore a popular government in Manipur, which has been under President’s rule since February 13, 2024, following the resignation of N. Biren Singh and the BJP’s failure to agree on a new chief minister.

Tuesday’s announcement follows a key meeting held in Guwahati between Kuki-Zo MLAs, KZC members, and armed groups currently under Suspension of Operations (SoO). The rebel groups are scheduled to meet with the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

Sources said that the Guwahati meeting saw a unified resolution by the Kuki-Zo leaders and SoO groups that the Centre must deliver on the UT demand before the current Assembly term ends. They have also decided to abstain from any new government formation process until concrete assurances are provided.

The Kuki-Zo MLAs—ten in total, including seven from the BJP—first made the separate UT demand public on May 12, 2023, and have boycotted Assembly sessions in Meitei-majority Imphal since the unrest began. On December 30, 2025, the KZC had formally resolved that the Kuki-Zo people “cannot and shall not participate in the formation of the Manipur government under the present circumstances.”

Reaffirming its support, the ITLF said: “After formally placing the demand for a Union Territory with legislature, there is no logic in joining the Manipur government.”

With mass mobilisation underway and political negotiations continuing, the
demand for a separate UT for Kuki-Zo people is expected to gain renewed national attention.