The deaths came months after Reuters reported in November that Indian rebel groups that sought refuge in Myanmar and fought in its civil war had begun streaming back across the border to Manipur.

“Ten cadres were neutralised and a sizeable quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered,” the army said in a post on X yesterday, referring to a firefight in the region.

Stability has been at risk along the shared 1,650km border from the civil war in Myanmar after a military coup ousted an elected civilian government in February 2021.

On the Indian side, ethnic strife in Manipur since May 2023 has led to the deaths of nearly 260, with more than 60,000 displaced.

The state of 3.2 million has been divided into two ethnic enclaves, a valley controlled by the Meiteis and the Kuki-dominated hills.