Kuki National Front
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| Kuki National Front | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Nehkholun Kipgen † |
| Dates of operation | 18 May 1988[1] – present |
| Headquarters | Kangpokpi |
| Active regions | Manipur |
| Ideology | Kuki nationalism |
| Size | 400–500[2] |
| Part of | Kuki National Organisation, United People's Front |
Kuki National Front (KNF) is a Kuki militant organisation operating in the state of Manipur, India. Its professed goal is to achieve a 'Kukiland' state within the framework of the Indian constitution.[3] At present, it has split into multiple factions which have joined the umbrella groups Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF) along with a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Government of India.[4][5]
Until 1986, the Kuki people of Manipur participated in the Greater Mizoram movement of the Mizo National Front. The signing of the Mizo Accord left them in the lurch, and also created a "security void" with respect to the Naga militant group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) formed in 1980. NSCN had the agenda of creating "Greater Nagalim" containing all the Naga-inhabited areas in various states, in particular Manipur.[6] Naga areas were interlaced with Kuki villages in northern hills of Manipur. The Naga integration movement resorted to the use of threat and forcible eviction of Thadou Kukis living among their midst.[7]
The Kuki National Front (KNF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), along with its armed wing Kuki National Army (KNA), were formed in the face of these developments in 1988.[8][9] Whereas KNF is based in Kangpokpi,[10] KNO operates in all the Kuki-inhabited areas in India and Myanmar, except for Nagaland.[11]