Kohima, August 18: The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has extended full support to the Naga Students’ Organisation (NSO) Myanmar over the recent abductions and forced conscription of Naga youths in Shinbwiyang by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and its ally, the Eastern Naga Defense Army (ENDA).
In a statement, the GNF praised the NSO for its “measured and dignified response, which upholds the ideals of truth, unity, and justice, the very foundations upon which the Naga political movement rests.”
The Forum said the historic bond between the Kachin and Naga peoples was built on solidarity, mutual respect, and shared struggles, and described the KIA’s recent actions as “not only disappointing but deeply painful for the Naga people.”
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The statement expressed concern that the KIA’s shift in approach may be influenced by larger geopolitical forces across the Indo-Myanmar region. Strategic interests of actors including the Myanmar military junta, the Government of India, China, and the United States, the GNF noted, have significantly altered dynamics on the ground.
Acknowledging the complex battlefield of survival and diplomacy, the Forum said it is plausible the KIA is compelled to make decisions serving short-term tactical interests, but which risk long-term damage to trust and solidarity among indigenous communities. The GNF warned that such decisions may form part of a broader plan to divide ethnic resistance movements, co-opt genuine revolutionary struggles, and suppress indigenous aspirations under the guise of regional stability and strategic cooperation.
The statement also questioned whether the KIA’s recent actions could be linked to shifting alliances and covert strategies employed by the Government of India to weaken Naga unity and resistance, particularly in the context of Indo-Naga political negotiations and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), calling for such developments to be critically examined.
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Urging the KIA to return to its founding revolutionary ethics based on respect, empathy, and the will of the people, the GNF called for an immediate cessation of all forced conscription and intimidation. “Let history not remember the KIA as an oppressor of fellow oppressed peoples, but as a principled ally in the collective struggle for dignity, justice, and freedom,” it said.
The Forum also appealed to all indigenous movements in the region to resist being pawns in the power games of dominant regimes and imperialist forces. Reaffirming solidarity, the GNF declared, “Our true strength lies in unity, not submission, in mutual support, not coercion,” and reaffirmed its commitment to peace, justice, and the preservation of fraternal ties between the Naga and Kachin communities.
