NAGALAND: SPLINTER DAMAGE
It has been nearly three years since the BJP-led NDA government signed a “framework agreement” with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah)—the largest of all Naga insurgent outfits— to reach a final settlement on the halfa-century-old demand for a separate ‘country’ for the Naga people. There is no sign of a permanent deal yet, but the ambush of Assam Rifles soldiers (four were killed) by the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) militants in Nagaland’s Mon district on June 17 has raised fresh questions about the peace process.
This was the second such attack within a month. On June 5, suspected NSCN(K) militants attacked the 41st battalion of the Assam Rifles in Mon. Located in the eastern part of the state, Mon is one of the four districts close to the Myanmar border and is known to be a stronghold of the group.
The NSCN(K) is not part of the peace talks with the Union government. Besides the NSCN(IM), six other groups have been taking part in the discussion with the Centre.
Several civil society groups in Nagaland have repeatedly requested the Centre to include the NSCN(K) in the peace process, but the possibility looks remote now. “There is strong opposition from the NSCN(IM) on their inclusion in the peace process. Besides, the NSCN(K)’s influence is diminishing. We haven’t given up hope and are trying to create a common ground where both groups can talk with us,” says a Union government official involved with the peace process.
The NSCN(IM) signed a ceasefire in 1997. Four years later, the NSCN(K) also signed a ceasefire but that ended in April 2015 when it killed 18 soldiers in an ambush in Manipur. The Centre has declared it a terrorist outfit.
After the June 17 attack, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation, an influential civil society group in the region, condemned the violence and demanded that the Centre revoke the ‘terrorist tag’ on the NSCN(K). The Naga Hoho, the top group of tribal organisations in Nagaland, has also asked the Modi government to bring the outfit back into the fold.
Meanwhile, the NSCN(IM) claims its rival faction is deliberately trying to stall the peace process. It did not even spare the Union government, blaming it for “not being serious enough” and “dragging the talks on and on”.