The latest violence occurred in Mullam village in Ukhrul district, where armed confrontations broke out between opposing groups amid longstanding tensions between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki population.“In a heavy exchange of fire, three individuals sustained fatal bullet injuries,” Manipur police said in a statement issued late Friday.

Authorities did not specify which community the victims belonged to, but said security forces had intensified deployments in the area to prevent further escalation.“Security measures have been enhanced in the area,” police said, adding that operations were continuing.Manipur has remained deeply unstable since large-scale ethnic violence erupted in 2023, triggering one of India’s most serious internal security crises in recent years.

More than 250 people have been killed and around 60,000 displaced since clashes first intensified between the Meitei majority and Kuki tribal groups, according to official figures.The conflict centers on disputes over land ownership, political representation, and access to public sector jobs, with both communities accusing each other of discrimination and encroachment.

Rights groups and civil society activists have also accused local political leaders of inflaming ethnic divisions for electoral and strategic advantage, further complicating peace efforts.Although violence had eased in recent months, tensions have remained fragile.

Earlier this month, four people, including two children, were killed in an attack blamed on a Kuki armed group, triggering retaliatory anger among Meitei groups.In the aftermath, a Meitei mob stormed a paramilitary camp, raising fresh concerns over the state’s ability to contain unrest despite heavy federal security deployment.

The violence in Manipur has drawn national attention not only because of its scale but also because of its impact on minority communities, migration patterns, and regional security along India’s sensitive northeastern frontier.

Separately this week, 249 Indians from Manipur and neighboring Mizoram belonging to the Bnei Menashe community arrived in Tel Aviv after Israel approved funding for the immigration of around 6,000 members of the group.

The Bnei Menashe claim descent from one of the “lost tribes” of Israel and have long sought recognition of their Jewish ancestry, adding another layer to the region’s complex identity politics.

Their oral history traces a migration across Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China before settlement in northeast India, where many later converted to Christianity under 19th-century missionary influence.

As fresh violence returns to Manipur, security officials remain on high alert over the possibility of wider reprisals in a state where ethnic mistrust continues to challenge political stability and peacebuilding efforts.

Thousands of troops are set to march in the capital Naypyidaw, where Min Aung Hlaing is expected to deliver a speech aimed at reinforcing morale within the armed forces, which have been engaged in a protracted civil conflict since the 2021 coup.

State media reported that “leadership changes” would follow the ceremony, quoting deputy commander-in-chief Soe Win as saying adjustments were imminent within the military hierarchy.

Under Myanmar’s constitution, Min Aung Hlaing would need to relinquish his military role to formally become president. He currently serves as acting president, and a permanent transition would coincide with a parliamentary process expected to begin next week.

Min Aung Hlaing has ruled since overthrowing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, detaining the Nobel laureate, dissolving her party, and triggering a nationwide conflict involving pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups.

Recent elections, which handed pro-military parties a decisive victory, have been criticized by democracy monitors as tightly controlled and excluding opposition participation.

Despite ongoing violence, the military has regained some ground over the past year, aided in part by China-brokered ceasefires with key ethnic armed groups. Agreements involving regions such as Lashio and parts of Mandalay have helped the junta stabilize certain fronts after earlier setbacks.

However, fighting remains widespread in many areas, with analysts noting the conflict is highly fragmented. According to monitoring group ACLED, more than 90,000 people have been killed since the coup, while the United Nations estimates over 3.7 million have been displaced and roughly half the population lives in poverty.

The Armed Forces Day ceremony, once a large-scale display of strength, has diminished in scale in recent years as the military contends with battlefield losses and internal strain.