Centre, Manipur, Kuki-Zo groups sign pact for peace

More than two years after ethnic strife singed Manipur, leaving over 200 dead and 60,000 displaced, the Centre on Thursday signed a tripartite agreement for one year with the Manipur Government and Kuki-Zo groups to restore peace in the state. The significant development comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur on September 13, his first since the 2023 violence.

The pact entails maintaining the territorial integrity of the state and relocating militant camps.

The Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, which had been lying in cold storage for the past 18 months (since February 29, 2024, when the Manipur Government had withdrawn from it), was signed between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Manipur Government and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) as well as United People’s Front (UPF) on re-negotiated ground rules, which will be effective from the day of the signing of the agreement for a period of one year, official sources said.

The MHA said the KNO and the UPF also agreed to relocate seven designated camps away from areas vulnerable to conflict and also to reduce their numbers. They also agreed to a stringent physical verification of their cadres by the security forces to delist foreign nationals, if any.

The groups also agreed to surrender weapons with the nearest CRPF and BSF camps, the sources said.

The Joint Monitoring Group (of all stakeholders) will closely monitor the enforcement of the ground rules, and violations would be dealt with firmly in future, including review of the SoO agreement, they said.

The parties agreed upon the need for a negotiated solution to bring lasting peace and stability to Manipur.

A statement issued by the MHA said, “In a significant decision, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) on Thursday decided to reopen the National Highway-2 for the free movement of commuters and essential goods. The decision came after a series of meetings between officials of the MHA and a delegation of the KZC in the past few days in New Delhi.”

The meetings had been taking place since June this year, when the Centre had revived talks with the Kuki and Meitei groups as part of restoring peace in the troubled state.

The breakthrough is significant as it has come amid speculations of Modi’s visit to Manipur this month. He is expected to travel to Mizoram on September 13, where he will inaugurate a rail route. On the same day, he was also likely to travel to Manipur, where, sources said, he would open a public health centre at Rengkai in Churachandpur district.

It will be Modi’s first visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out there on May 3, 2023.

“The KZC has given a commitment to cooperate with the security forces deployed by the Centre to maintain peace along the NH-2,” the MHA said.

However, the KZC, in a statement later in the day, said the particular national highway was never closed or blocked and, therefore, the question of its reopening did not arise.

“We categorically reiterate that the Imphal-Dimapur NH-2 has never been closed or blocked. The NH-2 has consistently remained open for commuters and for the transportation of essential goods. Therefore, the question of reopening does not arise... Our appeal was specifically confined to the stretch of the NH-2 passing through Kangpokpi district. It must not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of unrestricted or free movement across the buffer zones. The sanctity of the buffer zones between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo areas will continue to be strictly respected and maintained,” the statement issued by the KZC said.

The Meitei groups, on their part, have maintained that the movement of people belonging to their community was being blocked by Kukis ever since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur.

Meanwhile, the KZC statement reiterated the Kukis’ long-pending demand of seeking a separate union territory status for areas where they are in a majority in the state.

“The KZC warmly welcomes and supports the decision of the MHA to extend the SoO with the KNO and the UPF. We remain hopeful that the Centre will follow this up by resuming the political dialogue for a separate administration under the Constitution of India, which alone can bring lasting peace and prosperity to the Kuki-Zo people,” the KZC statement said.