Aug 19, 2008 (DVB), Naga rebels from Nagaland state in north-eastern India have blocked access to main roads in the Naga Mountains area on the India-Burma border, according to locals.

An ethnic Naga from the Naga area of Chin state in Burma said Naga rebels operating inside India had blocked roads in the mountains in order to prevent rival Naga rebels from Burma reaching the border.

"The rebels on the Indian side of the border, in Ukhrul province, have blocked access to the border to prevent their rivals from reaching the border easily," he said.

Due to the rebels’ siege, ethnic Naga people from Burma were unable to cross the border into India, where they usually buy food and medicine.

Rebels from the Indian and Burmese sides of the border used to be members of the same group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, before it split into two rival factions in 1988.

Both groups continue to use the same name, and share a common aim of bringing freedom to the Naga people in Burmese and Indian territories and developing a Naga nation.

Reporting by Khin Maung Soe Min