Ukhrul, Feb 22: The NSCN-IM has announced the formation of a new battalion for the NC Hills region, naming it “Eloi Hau.”
“A base area in NC Hills, Asalu Region, declared for the first time in the Naga Freedom Movement,” reads a banner reportedly unveiled by the Naga Army on 12 February 2025.
Sources said that the Longvibu of the Naga Army, General Anthony N. Shimray (MC), had surveyed areas along the tri-junction of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland, where the battalion will be based. Sources also stated that cadres of the Rengma Naga Hill Protection Force (RNHPF) have merged with the Naga outfit.
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Sources indicated that “the site for the Eloi Hau Battalion is strategically located and will provide the NSCN-IM with easy access to its commands in Naga areas in Myanmar and other locations.”
The NSCN-IM has been demanding the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh, including Myanmar. “Integration is the legitimate right of the Nagas,” stated General Anthony Ningkhan Shimray (MC), Longvibu of the Naga Army, during a public discourse at Sada Lungthar on 11 December 2023.
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With around 7,000–8,000 cadres, the outfit, amidst a deadlock in peace talks with the Centre, has threatened to break the 27-year-old ceasefire and resume violent armed resistance if its demands for a separate national flag and constitution are not met.
The Longvibu of the Naga Army stated, “There is no Greater or Smaller Nagalim, but we have a piece of land that belongs to the Nagas.” In October 2024, the Longvibu of the Naga Army toured Nagalim, bordering Myanmar, with the aim of strengthening and fostering the Naga movement.
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