On September 4, two prominent Kuki-Zo groups signed a ‘Suspension of Operations (SoO)’ agreement with the Government of India. The pact was signed following a series of meetings and negotiations between officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Kuki group delegation. The pact is a significant development to usher lasting peace in the state of Manipur.
Manipur has witnessed ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community and Kuki-Zo people since May 3, 2023. During a vanvasi solidarity march in the hill districts, violence erupted suddenly, with immediate provocation being the Manipur High Court order recommending the ST to the Meitei community. The Meitei community has been demanding ST status, similar to that of the Kuki-Zo community, so that they can buy land in the hills, as the valley, which has the maximum Meitei population, is fully saturated. Obviously, the Kuki-Zo community, which is largely Christian, felt threatened. This court order was stayed by the Supreme Court, but by then, the state of Manipur was engulfed in conflict and violence.
In the last two years and four months, about 260 people, including people from both the communities and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. For the last six months, the violence levels were brought down considerably by the security forces by keeping a sort of Buffer Zone between the two warring factions. Both the factions were confined to their respective dominated areas and designated camps. Manipur has been under President’s rule since February 13 this year once Chief Minister N. Biren Singh led BJP government resigned. Since then, there has been no major incidence of violence in Manipur, though sporadic incidents have continued.
It is important to understand the significance of SoO agreement with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) to ensure lasting peace in the state of Manipur. There are seven constituents of UPF and 16 constituents of KNO. The KNO and UPF have also agreed to relocate seven designated camps away from the areas vulnerable to conflict and violence. An agreement to reduce the number of designated camps, relocate the weapons to the nearest CRPF and BSF camps and stringent physical verification of cadres by the security forces was also reached.
But the most significant agreement has been on maintaining the territorial integrity of Manipur. The Kuki-Zo groups had indirectly hinted at a separate land for themselves, and thus, this SoO has put an end to such speculation. This agreement gives a positive outlook to bring lasting peace between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups based on peaceful mutual co-existence. Around a year back, Kuki-Zo groups even used drones to attack Meitei-dominated areas. There was news of Kuki-Zo groups receiving foreign assistance to escalate the violence against the Meitei community. This agreement would put an end to any such foreign interference in the state of Manipur.
Another important development was the decision of the civil society group Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) to keep National Highway-02 open for free movement of people and essential goods. NH-02 runs from Dibrugarh in Assam to Tuipang in Mizoram and passes through the states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. For the state of Manipur, NH-02 is the lifeline for sustenance. This highway has been prone to bandhs and blockades, sponsored by the proxies of the terrorist groups or political parties. With KZC committed to keep the highway open, the state of Manipur would witness much easier access for the common people and goods movement.
In the past too, SoO agreement with Kuki-Zo groups was signed and it worked satisfactorily. I recall my tenure as Brigade Commander in the Imphal Valley and the adjoining areas from 2012 to 2014. We were tasked to enforce the ground rules as per the SoO agreement with the Kuki groups. There were challenges to monitor the agreement but our security forces ensured strict compliance. As per the new SoO, the security forces would have to keep a close watch on the weapons and ammunition available with the Kuki-Zo cadre. As per the agreement, the Kuki-Zo groups have to deposit their weapons with the nearest CRPF and BSF camps. But it is a known fact that no terrorist group deposits all the weapons and ammunition held by them. Thus, the security forces have to continue combing operations to recover such weapons and ammunition.
The Government of India has taken a major initiative by signing the peace pact with the Kuki-Zo groups. Now it is up to the majority Meitei community (55% of the total population) to show the necessary maturity to accommodate the interests of the Kuki-Zo community (16% of the total population). Here, the people of Manipur should take a leaf out of the Naga community, which has 20% of the population of Manipur. The Naga people have realised the futility of armed struggle and are largely peaceful. The beauty of Manipur is about having an understanding about co-existence in their respective areas, be it plains, foothills, hills or the mountainous region of Manipur.
With the likelihood of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Manipur and Mizoram, the stage is now set to usher in lasting peace in the state. Mizoram is one shining example where the state came out of active insurgency and chose the democratic path of governance. Manipur is a strategically important state of India’s North East, and peace in the state is the need of the hour. The people of Manipur now have to be proactive to ensure that all communities live and prosper together peacefully. With the festive season approaching in Manipur, it is sincerely hoped that all the stakeholders, including all the political parties, support the peace initiative of the PM Narendra Modi government and bring all-around cheer amongst the people.
