Kohima, Nov. 10: Nagaland is heading for an upsurge in factional clashes with the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim today warning of hitting back at the rival Khaplang faction.

Responding to the ongoing attacks by the Khaplang group on NSCN (I-M) functionaries across the state, its “ministry of information and publicity” said the NSCN (K) was testing its tolerance by taking help from outfits of Manipur like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) to mount attacks.

“Lest the NSCN (I-M) is blamed for hitting back, Naga civil societies are hereby warned that the patience of the Naga army whose personnel are targeted by the Khaplang group in connivance with the UNLF is running out,” the NSCN (I-M) mouthpiece warned.

Several Naga organisations, including the gaonburahs (headmen) and dubashis (chiefs of Naga customary courts), had earlier appealed to the NSCN (I-M) to show restraint. The Naga outfit, however, said with increasing loss of its men at the hands of cadre of its rival group, it would retaliate.

“No revolutionary group worth its salt will tolerate this unholy nexus and the answer will have to be given in a fitting manner.”

On Thursday, two NSCN (I-M) activists were abducted by the Khaplang faction at Longkhim, nearly 250km from Kohima and one of them was killed under the command of one Mahesh from Manipur. The body of “private” Ringmaya of Paoyi village in Ukhrul district of Manipur was recovered the same night.

“Nagas who want peace must try to see the true picture in the right perspective. This is necessary to identify the group with anti-national mindset that is working at the behest of authorities conspiring to undermine the Naga peace process,” the NSCN (I-M) said.

The “ministry” listed the names of NSCN (I-M) cadre killed by the Khaplang faction. The outfit accused its rival faction of bias towards Delhi and trying to undermine the longstanding Naga political issue. The chairman of the NSCN (K), S.S. Khaplang, is originally from Myanmar, but his deputies are strongly opposed to integration of contiguous Naga-inhabited areas.

The NSCN (I-M) also voiced concern over the recent rise in incidents of rape in Naga society and demanded that the culprits be given exemplary punishment, including death sentence.

A married woman was raped in Tuli on October 15 and another woman raped and murdered in Mokokchung on October 30.

The Watsü Mungdang, the apex body of the Ao Women, on Thursday took out a silent procession to protest violence against women and failure of police to arrest the culprits.