Five suspected UNLF (G-5) members apprehended in Manipur

Kolkata, October 17 (IANS): In an intelligence-based operation, troops of the Assam Rifles, in coordination with the state police, apprehended five suspected members of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) from the Ukhrul district in Manipur, officials said.The five are suspected to be members of the G-5 conglomerate.This is an underground alliance comprising five insurgent groups: UNLF, KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, and PREPAK (Pro).The UNLF is the oldest valley-based insurgent group in Manipur that was founded in 1964. In 2023, the outfit signed a peace agreement with the Centre and the Government of Manipur, agreeing to renounce violence and join the mainstream."Despite the peace agreement, some factions of the UNLF, with other members of the G-5 conglomerate, have been involved in issuing threats and making extortion demands. Some members continue to operate along the India-Myanmar border," an official said.Security forces recently cracked down on G-5 members for ordering a one-year ban on Shumang Leela drama troupes and participants of the Sangai Festival. The historic Shumang Leela drama troupes spread awareness in society against several ills, including drugs, HIV, and insurgency.Some UNLF cadres have also been known to have participated in the ethnic violence that rocked the state for the last three years. They have also been accused of providing logistics and other support to groups under the G-5 that have carried out direct attacks on the security forces.In July this year, an Assam Rifles convoy came under attack in the Ukhrul district, close to the border with Myanmar. Two soldiers were killed in the attack. While no group has taken responsibility for the strike, there is a possibility of the G-5 being involved."We have seized some material from them, which is being examined. Many G-5 members are also involved in recruitment of youths from the state and sending them across to camps in Myanmar for training. We have busted one such module recently," the official said.