"Peace Can't Be Built On Appeasement": Meitei, Thadou Groups Raise Concerns Over Deal With Kuki Insurgents

The recent killing of a Thadou tribe leader in Assam, Kuki insurgents stopping a bus this week to check whether any passenger had taken a video of their camp in Manipur, and no clarity on free movement on highways have sparked fresh calls for a rethink on the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement in all areas across states.

Meitei Alliance, a global body of civil society organisations, and Thadou Inpi Manipur, which says it is the main body of the indigenous distinct tribe, have in separate statements shared several points of concerns over the activities of Kuki insurgents who are under the SoO agreement.

"Far from strengthening democracy, the continuation of SoO emboldens militant groups in their pursuit of a separate country, inspired by a racist, genocidal, Nazi-style ideology. Their book Zale'ngam openly envisions a 'Kuki-exclusive homeland' - a Lebensraum for Kukis by displacing or ethnically cleansing other indigenous peoples and minorities from their occupied lands in Manipur and the broader northeast region," the Meitei Alliance said in a statement on Tuesday.

"By extending SoO [agreement], the government of India risks accelerating the balkanization of the northeast and undermining Manipur's integrity," it said.

Thadou Inpi Manipur said people across communities have repeatedly questioned how these insurgent groups can run a parallel, unaccountable authority with no regard for public safety or the law.

"The peace-loving Thadou people are the greatest victims of this violence, which is driven by a Kuki supremacist agenda and constitutes a systematic campaign of ethnic and cultural genocide by Kuki groups against the Thadou people," Thadou Inpi Manipur general secretary Manggou Thadou said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF) - representing a mix of 24 Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups - signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and the state government on re-negotiated terms and conditions last week. The insurgents agreed to relocate designated camps from vulnerable areas, maintain territorial integrity of Manipur, while also at the same time working for a solution to bring lasting peace and stability in the state.

The Meitei Alliance questioned why there is no free movement on the highways for the Meitei community despite the central government announcing that the Churachandpur-based Kuki Zo Council (KZC) has agreed to allow free movement.

A day after the government announced the SoO agreement's renewal for a year, KZC and the insurgent groups' two umbrella bodies clarified that the 'free movement' appeal was specifically confined to the Kangpokpi stretch of National Highway-2 and aimed at encouraging cooperation with central security forces to ensure the safe passage of essential goods, but should not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of unrestricted or free movement across 'buffer zones' between Meitei and Kuki settlements.

"Insurgents Mocking Government"

The Meitei Alliance said statements by the Chin-Kuki insurgents and frontal civil groups that are contradictory to what the central government announced "openly mocks the government of India."

"It exposes the hollowness of the SoO framework and raises serious doubts about the sincerity and clarity of the government's approach. The reality is stark: both lifeline highways remain under militant blockade, inflicting economic strangulation, humanitarian hardship, and fundamental rights violations, especially against the Meiteis," the civil society organisation said.

The SoO agreement was first formally signed in 2008. Every year, a joint monitoring group (JMG) reviews the agreement and decides its future. Broadly, the SoO agreement says the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.

Alleging the SoO agreement has become a shield for insurgency, crime and instability, the Meitei Alliance pointed out the agreement itself is fundamentally flawed on at least three areas: insurgent groups are part of the JMG, creating a conflict of interest and shielding them from accountability; the state government cannot act against SoO ground rules violators without the JMG's approval, and the "farce of the two-key arrangement" where insurgents themselves hold access to weapons in camps.

"The government of India must act with resolve. Peace cannot be built on appeasement. True stability requires dismantling militant structures, restoring authority to the state government, and upholding the rights and dignity of all communities in Manipur," it said.

Thadou Inpi Manipur, whose members have several times appeared on the same stage with other communities including Meiteis to call for peace in Manipur, raised concerns over what they called a "surge in violence", which "once again confirms our long-held concerns and demonstrates that these groups operate with impunity."

'Unified Command' In Kangpokpi?

The Thadou tribe body raised four allegations linked to the Kuki insurgent groups that have signed the SoO agreement, one of which alleged the existence of a 'unified command' in Kangpokpi district. The unified command allegedly comprises both groups of insurgents - those who have signed the SoO agreement, and those who operate outside of the agreement. Since the SoO agreement has ground rules and to avoid violating them amid intense scrutiny, the insurgents who are not a part of the deal with the government allegedly take instructions from those who are a part of the deal.

"Jangboi Kipgen has recently been elevated as the chairman of the unified command comprising both SoO signatory and non-SoO Kuki militant groups in Kangpokpi district and was the key driver of Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU)," Thadou Inpi Manipur said.

A reformation programme of CoTU was held in S Molnom on August 23 whose programme details mentioned the attendees as UPF chairman, unified command convenor, CoTU secretary, Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association (SAHILCA) president, and SAHILCA finance secretary - an event that brought the Kuki insurgent groups and civil bodies on the same stage.

The Thadou Inpi Manipur said the latest cycle of violence is not new.

"Kuki SoO groups routinely downplay or dismiss their illegal acts. When caught red-handed, they disown the cadres involved, refusing to take organisational responsibility. The government's inaction allows this to continue. This pattern was tragically evident in the brutal August 30 murder of Thadou leader Nehkam Jomhao, who was a peace advocate and chairman of Thadou Literature Society, Assam. He was killed and mutilated by Kuki SoO militants, including members of the Manipur-based KRA/KNO and Assam-based KRA. Despite the involvement of several Kuki militant and civil society groups, no leaders have been held accountable," Thadou Inpi Manipur alleged.

Thadou tribe leader Nehkam Jomhao, who was a peace advocate and chairman of Thadou Literature Society, Assam, was killed by Kuki insurgents weeks ago. Five Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) insurgents have been arrested.

The Thadou tribe body asked the central government to either enforce India's sovereignty and the rule of law or state its status on these matters to the public. "The current approach will likely prolong instability rather than solve the underlying problems," the Thadou Inpi Manipur said.

Former Manipur chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh told the state assembly on March 1, 2024 that the Assam Rifles and Kuki insurgent groups signed an agreement in 2005 - without informing the state government.

"The two signed the agreement without the knowledge of the Manipur government. The police continued to arrest the insurgents, and in 2008 the formal SoO with the state government's participation was signed," Ibobi Singh told the assembly.

The state government discovered the existence of the 2005 "ceasefire" agreement when, during police operations against Kuki insurgents, the state forces were often requested to stand down.

The valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 260 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.