The founder chairman of the outfit, Kiri Rongphar and it s 'supreme commander', Horen Singh were arrested on October 22, 1999. Presently, the outfit is headed by its 'Chairman' P. Dilli. The outfit announces its programmes in the name of its 'mass relations secretary' Lt. The UPDS, in turn, now acts as the fund collector for the Naga outfit. The ULFA, which used to have a strong base in the Boithalangchu area of Hamren subdivision, reportedly provided the UPDS insurgents with logistic support.
Extortion remains the main source of funding for the outfit.
Government officials and non-Karbi residents of the district are often served with annual tax notices. Failure to meet the outfit's 'taxes' resulted in the killing of an estimated 20 non-Karbi settlers in March 2000. By June 2000, an estimated two thousand non-Karbi families deserted their villages because of the increasing threat posed by UPDS terrorists. The outfit which started with an estimated strength of 50 terrorists has procured arms from Bhutan and Bangladesh. Reports suggest that UPDS terrorists now possess sophisticated weapons such as AK-47s, SLRs, US carbines, assault rifles and sophisticated communication devices.