India rebel groups' feud kills 14

By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta

At least 14 Naga rebels were killed when two rival separatist factions clashed in the north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, police say.

Police said 12 of the dead belonged to the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN).

The clash with the Muivah faction took place in a village not far from Nagaland's commercial centre, Dimapur.

The NSCN is the strongest separatist group in the north-east. It split in 1988 and has seen in-fighting since.

Split

Rebels of the Muivah and the Khaplang factions fought with rifles and light machine guns in Seitikhima, near Dimapur town, police said.

"The gun battle started early on Wednesday and lasted for three hours. There is huge panic in the area," a Nagaland police official said.

Both factions blamed each other for starting the fighting.

Two of the dead belonged to the Muivah faction, police said.

Last month, another 14 fighters of the Khaplang group were killed in a clash with the Muivah group at the same place.

Nearly 50 people, including civilians, have been killed in and around Dimapur in intensified fighting between the two Naga factions.

The NSCN split in 1988, when Burmese Naga rebel leader SS Khaplang parted ways with the main group, led by Thuingaleng Muivah and Issac Chisi Swu.

Both factions have observed a ceasefire with Indian security forces since 1997 but have fought viciously against each other.

More than 400 rebels have died in factional clashes between the two groups since 1988.