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ISLAMABAD: Members of the Naga community held a candlelight vigil in Guwahati on Tuesday to honor six Naga civilians who were found dead in Manipur last week amid violence, as protesters demanded justice and stronger action to restore law and order in the troubled northeastern state. The victims, belonging to the Christian Naga community, are believed to be among those taken hostage from Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13, according to Manipur Police.&nbsp; Police said the bodies were recovered after more than 24 hours of search operations involving around 450 personnel, sniffer dogs, and forensic teams. At the vigil, participants lit candles, offered prayers, and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families. They called on the authorities to ensure a transparent investigation and hold those responsible accountable.&nbsp; They also urged the government to take urgent steps to prevent further ethnic violence in Manipur, where tensions have remained high for more than three years. The latest killings have deepened fears of a further deterioration in the security situation.&nbsp; Manipur has been gripped by unrest since May 2023, when clashes erupted between the state&rsquo;s dominant, mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes over access to economic benefits, land rights, and government job quotas. The Naga community, Manipur&rsquo;s third major ethnic group, had largely remained outside the core of the Meitei-Kuki conflict.&nbsp; However, tensions involving Naga groups escalated earlier this year after a Naga man was allegedly assaulted by Kuki men, drawing the community into the wider unrest. Rights groups and local organizations have repeatedly urged authorities to protect civilians and pursue dialogue among the communities.&nbsp; Police said legal formalities were being completed and an investigation into the deaths was underway.&nbsp; However, media reports say that no group has been officially named by police as responsible for the killings.

Asia

Members of the community gather in Guwahati to mourn those killed, demanding justice, accountability, and stronger government action to urgently restore peace in the violence-hit state.

India's Naga community holds candlelight vigil after six civilians killed in Manipur

LAGOS: A Christian group on Saturday said 315 students and teachers were seized a day earlier in Nigeria&#39;s second mass school abduction in a week, as security fears mounted in Africa&#39;s most populous nation. The early Friday raid on St Mary&#39;s school in Niger state in central Nigeria came after gunmen on Monday stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls. The Christian Association of Nigeria said the new number came &quot;after a verification exercise&quot; following the early Friday mass kidnapping, and added that &quot;The total number of victims abducted ... is now 303 students and 12 teachers&quot;. The number of students kidnapped is almost half of the school&#39;s 629 enrolled pupils. Authorities in the nearby states of Katsina and Plateau have ordered all schools to close as a precautionary measure. Schools closed&nbsp;The Niger state government closed many schools and President Bola Tinubu cancelled international engagements, including attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to handle the crisis. The two abduction operations and an attack on a church in the west of the country, in which two people were killed, have happened since US President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he called the killing of Christians by radical Islamists in Nigeria. Nigeria is still scarred by the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls by Boko Haram jihadists at Chibok in northestern Borno state more than a decade ago.&nbsp; Some of those girls are still missing.

Africa

Christian Association of Nigeria said new number came ‘after a verification exercise’ following the early Friday mass kidnapping, and added that ‘The total number of victims abducted ... is now 303 students and 12 teachers’.

Articles tagged with "Christians"

India's Naga community holds candlelight vigil after six civilians killed in Manipur

Christian group says 315 seized in latest Nigerian school kidnapping

India's Naga community holds candlelight vigil after six civilians killed in Manipur