Statement of Solidarity and Call for Peace in Manipur
May 13, 2026

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) – a Christian World Communion that draws on over 400 years of shared Baptist history and that is today found in 138 countries and represents over 53 million baptized believers – joins with the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF), one of the six Regions of the BWA, and the National Council of Baptist Churches in India (NCBCI) which networks more than 5 million baptized believers across the whole of India, in grieving, praying, and calling for just peace pursued through dialogue. 

Today, the worldwide Baptist family together with Baptists in India grieve the tragic deaths of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, the former General Secretary of Manipur Baptist Convention and present President of the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI); Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum, the Secretary of Finance, Youth and Music Department of TBAI; and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. We continue to pray for the other leaders of TBAI who were critically injured in an ambush while traveling home after a Baptist gathering in Churachandpur, Manipur. 

These dear brothers in Christ were faithful servants of the Gospel and devoted to shepherding God’s people. Their grieving families, their congregations, and the Baptist bodies they served are not alone. They are part of the one global Baptist family, and today we stand with them in sorrow, prayer, and solidarity. 

Together the BWA, APBF, and the NCBCI condemn this brutal attack targeting pastors and innocent individuals who believed in Christ’s command to love God and love others. 

Together we affirm the sanctity of every human life and reject all forms of hatred, vengeance, and communal hostility. We call for a just peace rooted not in fear and retaliation, but in truth, accountability, reconciliation, and dialogue. 

To our Baptist family and the wider Christian community in Manipur, we pray for the sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit. In moments of grief, may the Lord lead his people beyond fearful reaction and despair into the costly path of the sacrificial love of Christ that calls us to steadfast hope, to love one another, and to cherish all people. 

We call upon governing authorities to ensure a full, impartial investigation and appropriate judicial accountability. As Manipur continues to recover from large-scale conflicts of the recent past, we urge all people and communities to reject ethnic and other divisions, resist further escalation, and pursue the hard but holy work of love, reconciliation, and restorative care, most especially for the vulnerable and the suffering. 

Through shared human dignity and courageous dialogue, may just peace and flourishing freedom be established. May we join our prayers and actions with the words of Scripture: in the shadow of death, guide our feet into the path of peace (Luke 1:79).