Govt resumes talks with Kuki groups

Dialogue between the Centre and Kuki-Zo armed groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework resumed on April 30 after nearly two months, as the authorities attempt to stabilise a fragile security situation in Manipur following renewed ethnic flare-ups.

This was the first such meeting after an elected government under CM Y Khemchand Singh was restored in Manipur on February 4.

The talks focused on operational and security-related issues, particularly the location and functioning of designated camps housing SoO cadres. Both sides broadly agreed on the need to relocate certain camps to reduce friction with local populations and improve security issues.

The Kuki-Zo leaders also drew the attention of officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the prolonged unrest in Ukhrul district, claiming that their civilian population continues to live under constant fear of attacks by alleged Tangkhul militants, sources said.

They further said numerous villages belonging to Kuki-Zo civilians had been burnt over the past month, underscoring the urgency of security intervention and confidence-building measures.

The meeting, convened by the MHA, marked the first formal engagement since tensions escalated again in parts of the state last month. Deliberations were led by AK Ajit Lal, the newly appointed interlocutor for Northeast peace talks and a former senior Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, who recently succeeded AK Mishra.

Senior officials from the IB, security forces and the Manipur administration, including the Home Secretary and Additional Director General of Police, were also present.

Delegations from the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF) represented Kuki-Zo armed groups that are signatories to the SoO agreement. The Kuki-Zo groups reiterated their long-standing demand for a UT status with a legislature for the hill areas they inhabit, adding that return to status quo was not tenable.

Lal is learnt to have informed the Kuki groups that their concerns and political demands would be taken into consideration and conveyed to the highest levels of the government.

The government reiterated its immediate priority to stabilise ground conditions, particularly through deployment of Central forces, camp rationalisation and maintaining total absence of violence —while continuing dialogue for a broader political settlement within the constitutional framework, added the sources.