The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body representing the Naga tribes of Manipur, has imposed what it calls a “trade embargo” in protest against the Centre’s decision to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and construct fencing along the 1,643-km India–Myanmar border.
As part of the agitation, protesters have blocked the movement of commercial goods along National Highways 2 and 37, particularly in Naga-dominated stretches. The blockade has disrupted supply lines to several parts of Manipur, including the central valley and the southern Kuki-dominated hill areas.
The Chandel Naga Civil Bodies, in solidarity with UNC, declared its firm opposition to the proposed border fencing and the scrapping of the FMR. Leaders from sector units and the District Monitoring Cell of Chandel joined the agitation, pledging to continue until their demands are addressed.
The affected areas include Senapati, Ukhrul, and Tamenglong districts, where trucks carrying goods have been stopped.
The UNC expressed disappointment over what it termed the Centre’s “lack of response” to repeated appeals and a failed meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs on August 26.
According to the council, the fencing and the removal of the FMR would physically divide Naga tribes spread across Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Myanmar, thereby undermining their cultural identity and severing ancestral ties.
