The Karbi Longri North Cachar People's Resistance (KNPR) is the armed unit of the Karbi Longri North Cachar Liberation Front (KLNLF), which advocates the independence of the Karbi tribe, located in northeastern India's state of Assam. Assam is one of the Seven Sister states in northeast India. These states' ethnic and religious diversity, as well as geographic location, distinguish them from the rest of India. The Seven Sisters region has been plagued with ethnic conflicts since India gained independence from Britain and lags behind the rest of India in economic development. <P><br /><br />The KLNLF came into existence as a splinter group of the United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), a separatist group that aims to create an independent country for the Karbi tribal people located in eastern Assam. In May 2002 UPDS began to engage in peace negotiations with the Indian government. This move sparked a split in the organization, with those willing to negotiate remaining with the UPDS and those opposed to negotiations forming the KLNLF in May 2004. The stated aim of the KLNLF is "emancipation from the oppressive and exploitative system of India." The KNPR pursues this aim through violent means. <P><br /> <br />KLNLF members and supporters believe that the colonial rule of the British Empire was replaced by the neocolonial suppression of India. The organization believes that, under Indian rule, the ethnic people of northeast India, specifically the Karbis, are the "most marginalized, vulnerable, voiceless, threatened and strangled people of the world."<br />Since the formation of the KLNLF, the KNPR has used violent activity in attempts to further this goal. In addition to terrorist attacks, the KNPR engages in abduction for ransom and extortion to earn income for the KLNLF, primarily targeting members of the Kuki and Dimasas tribes, with whom the Karbis have long clashed. Conflicts among various ethnic groups have become more common as violence across the Seven Sister region has increased migration, threatening traditional territorial lines.<P><br /><br />The KNPR has carried out a number of attacks since their formation, using a variety of tactics and with varied degrees of success. The two common KNPR tactics have been grenade attacks and ambushes of transportation targets. The group has also used economic blockades, kidnapping and arson for attacks against Indian government targets and rival ethnic groups. <P><br /><br />In addition to self-determination, the KLNLF demands the eviction of all non-indigenous people who settled in the Karbi Anglong and surrounding Karbi-dominated regions after 1951. This demand comes as a result of the influx of Bengali Muslims that have migrated to Assam in the last few decades. While this migration has been occurring for almost a century, the recent influx threatens to make the indigenous people of Assam the minority in their native state.   <br />