On 26th November (Sunday), Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that his state government could soon sign a ‘peace accord’ with an Imphal Valley-based insurgent group. However, he refrained from naming the underground organisation with which the government has been engaging in “peace talks”.
Speaking to PTI-Video, the Manipur Chief Minister said, “We are advancing, and we are expecting to sign a peace accord with one big UG (underground organisation) very shortly.”
VIDEO | Exclusive: "We are advancing, and we are expecting to sign a peace accord with one big UG (underground organisation) very shortly," Manipur CM @NBirenSingh tells @PTI_News.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 26, 2023
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/NNip0IpvbW
It is important to note that this is the first time that the government has officially confirmed holding peace talks with insurgent groups since the ethnic clashes broke out in the state on 3rd May, this year. Earlier sources indicated that the state government was in talks with one faction of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
As per reports, the Pambei group of UNLF under the leadership of Chairman Kh Pambei will sign a ceasefire and peace agreement with the government soon. The group said that it is preparing for a negotiated settlement to the protracted armed struggle to regain Manipur’s lost sovereignty.
CH Thanil, the general secretary of UNLF-Pambei, confirmed the development saying that they are heading towards the agreement. However, he asserted that it will not be a ‘surrender’, but a process towards a negotiated political settlement. He added that the group considered the decision to accept a ceasefire and political settlement after receiving ‘feelers’ from New Delhi. CH Thanil said that an understanding was reached between the Government of India and UNLF-Pambei that the two will not act against each other.
The group was already in the process of entering into a settlement, but it was halted due to the ethnic violence that erupted earlier this year.
In May, the state witnessed ethnic clashes in which more than 180 people lost their lives. The clashes erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The Meiteis make up around 53% of Manipur’s population and they predominantly reside in the Imphal Valley. On the other hand, tribal communities, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% of the population. They are primarily located in the hill districts.
Following the ethnic clashes, the state and Central government have taken a slew of measures to bring back normalcy to the state and rid the state of such violence completely along with tackling all the reasons that resulted in the 3 May and subsequent clashes.
On 27th September, the state government announced that AFSPA would remain in force for another six months in view of the present law and order situation in the state. The government notified that the entire state had been declared a ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA. However, areas coming in the jurisdiction of 19 police stations including the state capital Imphal were excluded from this status.
Additionally, the central investigating agencies are probing multiple cases. During the ongoing investigation, NIA revealed that accused Seiminlun Gangte, in agency’s custody, was allegedly involved in a transnational conspiracy hatched by Myanmar-Bangladesh-based terror groups to “wage war” against India.
According to the NIA, Myanmar, and Bangladesh-based militant groups have entered into a conspiracy with a section of militant leaders in India to indulge in incidents of violence with the intention to drive a wedge between different ethnic groups and to wage war against the Government of India.
Further, in September, Manipur CM N held a meeting with the senior officials of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) regarding plans to extend the India-Myanmar border fencing by 70 kilometres. The aim of extending the border fencing has been to curb the influx of illegal immigrants in Manipur from the neighbouring nation Myanmar which is believed to have played a major role in the ethnic clashes in the state.
Moreover, the central government on 28th September extended the deadline to capture the biometrics of illegal immigrants from Myanmar by six months. In a letter to the Manipur Chief Secretary, the Home Ministry directed the state to complete the exercise by 31st March 2024 while the earlier deadline was set for 30th September.
