Dimapur, August 23: Naga leaders from far and near congregated at Ungma village in Mokokchung district of Nagaland today to strengthen the pursuit of unity and the “journey of common hope and future.”
Leaders of NSCN-IM, NNPGs, and many other Naga factions, along with Naga tribe-based bodies, participated in the event convened by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and hosted by Ao Senden, the apex Ao tribe organisation.
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“Today, August 23, 2025, marks a ‘winning day’ for the Naga people, a day etched into our collective memory as a testament of our resolve, unity, courage, and the enduring pursuit of a shared future,” stated the Ungma Statement issued by FNR. At the historic village of Ungma, the Ao Senden graciously hosted the meeting of the Council of Naga Cooperation and Relationship (CNCR), comprising representatives from the Naga tribe hohos, Naga Political Groups (NPGs), and the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR). The gathering was solemnly welcomed by the Ungma Village Council and its vibrant citizenry, who declared a sacred genna, Sungkhum Shipang, the closure of the village gate on August 22 and 23, thereby signifying and affirming the village’s sacred and communal commitment to this historic convergence.
The meeting convened under the CNCR was attended by representatives of the 16 Naga Political Groups (NPGs), including NSCN-IM and NNPGs, 34 tribal hohos from all Naga areas, and the FNR, the statement said. In continuity with the January 14, 2025 Treatise, followed by affirmations and resolutions made throughout 2025, the assembly reiterated an earnest and unified call that all Naga political groups (NPGs), with the clear-cut support of the tribe hohos, will converge at a common ground to articulate and pursue a shared political vision on the basis of the Naga peoples’ historical and political rights, it also said. “This vision is not merely inherited but is continually affirmed through our collective memory, struggle, and aspiration,” the statement added.
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The participants then declared that this convergence must be undertaken without preconditions, without the burden of rationalized narratives that fragment “our unity.” The path towards the future must be unobstructed, one that is a tangible horizon shaped by the courage to reconcile, the wisdom to listen, and the will to act, the Ungma Statement also said. The CNCR stands as a platform of moral clarity and responsibility, where no group will undermine the oath taken today in the name of the Naga people before God, it further added.
This declaration is a covenant, not a mere pro cedural outcome, the statement said. The peoples’ collective voice has decisively chosen to rise above fragmentation and division, embracing forgiveness and healing, to honor the sacrifices of past generations, and to walk together toward a future defined by dignity, justice, and peace, it further stated. The unity expressed today is based on a firm conviction, forged in the fire of shared suffering and sustained by the hope of collective flourishing, the statement also said.
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The Ungma Statement then said, “Therefore, on this day, Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Ungma village, Nagaland, we, the representatives of the NPGs, tribal hohos, and the FNR, declare this statement as a binding affirmation of our shared commitment to the dignified wholeness of the Naga people.” It added: “Let this be remembered as the day the Naga people chose convergence over fragmentation, vision over rhetoric, and future over fear. Therefore today we confess and declare that Nagas are one. God be our help!”
The United Naga Council (UNC) also participated in the meeting.
(Newmai News Network)