Manipur, which means “Land of Jewels,” consists of a valley surrounded by mountain ranges. Democracy at Gun Point: The Current Manipur Violence in Context Any moves toward peacebuilding in the medium- to long-term will have to reckon with what has long been a weaponization of colonial fault lines - as even decades after India’s independence, very little has been done to foster understanding between different communities regarding one another’s history, culture and traditions. While the violence in Manipur is some of the worst witnessed in the state in decades, it is not an unfamiliar occurrence in India’s Northeast, where the identities of different ethnic communities have repeatedly been weaponized to serve the interests of a powerful few. This has included issuing military curfews, suspending internet services and deploying approximately 17,000 troops and paramilitary forces with shoot-on-site orders in effect for “extreme cases.” The state government response has largely echoed the strategies India has previously employed during unrest in the Northeast or Jammu and Kashmir. A woman gestures as she argues with an Indian army member in the village of Gamgiphai, Manipur state, India, August 31, 2011. As the fighting continues, these numbers may also be rising. More than 35,000 people are currently displaced as well, with many now living in one of the 315 relief camps in the state. The violence has resulted in over 75 deaths and the burning of at least 1,700 buildings (including homes and religious sites). Since May 3, the northeastern Indian state of Manipur has witnessed repeated inter-ethnic clashes primarily between two local ethnic communities, the Meitei and Kuki.

Solutions to human armed conflicts