DIMAPUR, JUNE 7: NSCN-IM’s news bulletin Nagalim Voice said the hills of Manipur have long simmered with ethnic rivalries, but the recent flare-up of violence between the “Kuki refugees and the Nagas” underscores a deepening crisis that threatens to erode the fundamental fabric of the region’s indigenous inhabitants.
While Nagas slumber, their adversary has patiently consolidated power through narcotics, international lobbying based on fabricated narratives, and the instrumentalization of religion to justify territorial claims, said the latest edition of the NSCN-IM’s mouth piece. Historically, the establishment of Kuki settlements in Naga hill areas constitutes illegal incursion, it said, adding, “This demographic engineering has been facilitated by the Government of India, effectively providing a ‘blessing’ to landless Kuki refugees at the expense of Naga’s indigenous rights”. However, the Indian government has no legal or moral right to cede Naga ancestral land to refugees, the NSCN-IM’s news bulletin asserted.
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Nagalim Voice then cautioned that “New Delhi’s attempts to integrate the Northeast” through ‘Act East’ policies will largely falter if the pursuit of a meaningful political solution for the Nagas keeps stalling. Furthermore, traditional tactics of control are losing their efficacy, it also said. The old colonial-era policies are failing due to a growing affinity among the general populace, the news bulletin also said. The Government of India’s attempt to use religious identity during the Meitei-Kuki conflicts as a wedge have proved unsuccessful and the continued imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has only bred deep-seated resentment without offering a path to resolution, the NSCN-IM mouthpiece further stated. It also said current “political opportunism” further destabilizes the region.
The bulletin then alleged that Manipur’s leadership remains “stubbornly” valley-centric, ignoring the volatile fault lines of the hills, and perhaps the “most dangerous development” is the strategic use of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements. “It has become increasingly evident that India is utilizing Kuki groups as proxies to wage a shadow war against the Naga national resistance movement”, the NSCN-IM news bulletin stated, adding, “While these groups may be content to serve as a proxy force in exchange for the promise of ‘separate administration’, this is a short-sighted and reckless strategy on India’s part”.
The bulletin then said outsourcing “state terrorism” to the SoO groups undermines long-term peace and erodes India’s international credibility. It added that proxy warfare cannot be contained and India will eventually lose control over her proxies, intensifying an already fragile situation that has already spilled across the border into Myanmar.
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There is, however, a glimmer of hope amidst the geopolitical maneuvering, said the NSCN-IM news bulletin. “If a global power like India must resort to proxy warfare because it has failed to defeat the Naga cause through diplomacy even after 29 years, it reveals a fundamental weakness in their strategy”, the news bulletin stated. It also said Nagas should think outside the box, claims of legitimacy to the land and history alone will not suffice to attain the ultimate goal of freedom. The bulletin further said Nagas must come together and contribute as one entity for the common goal. “Nagalim is a ‘nation’, so it’s time to think and act like a nation”, it added.
In these times of crisis, the NSCN-IM mouthpiece then said Naga women deserve the highest applause and respect for their resilience, halting the militarization of the Naga villages. “Day in and day out, the women folk have prevailed against the heavily armed Indian para-military and security forces and their aggression”, it stated, adding, “It is from these spirited souls that national fighters must draw their inspiration as they navigate this precarious chapter of history”.