Ukhrul, October 23: The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) has strongly condemned the drone strike allegedly carried out by the Indian Armed Forces on Khammoi (Khenmoi-Loiyi), a Naga village under the East Konyak Region across the Indo–Myanmar border on October 20.
The drone attack reportedly resulted in the tragic deaths of two civilians, including an eight-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man and left several others critically injured. As per reports, this was the second such drone attack on Naga civilians this year. Similar drone strike was carried out on July 13 on Naga villages within the same region.
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The UNPO has been repeatedly raising concerns before the United Nations about the systemic violence, the legacy of militarization through the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in India, the lack of implementation of the Indo-Naga peace agreement, and the removal of the Freedom of Movement Regime across the Indo-Myanmar border.
“These measures, taken without consultation with the affected peoples, have contributed to the isolation of the Naga people, eroded trust, and deepened insecurity. The recent drone attacks further aggravate the climate of fear and risk undermining the prospects for dialogue and peace,” the UNPO maintained.
According to the UNPO, the Naga people, as established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), must be accorded full rights, including Article 30, which prohibits military activities in the lands or territories of Indigenous Peoples without consultation with the Indigenous Peoples concerned, and Article 36, which requires States to ensure that Indigenous Peoples divided by international borders can maintain and develop cultural, political, economic, and social relations across those borders.
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UNPO underscored that these drone strikes not only contravene international conventions but also jeopardize the fragile foundations for reconciliation and coexistence between Indigenous Naga communities and the States.
The continued implementation of AFSPA in Naga-inhabited areas, the unilateral scrapping of the FMR and border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border without Indigenous consultation have isolated Naga communities, exacerbating their vulnerability, according to the UNPO.
The UNPO further extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims- Phiphot Wangsa and Khampei Wangsa, the injured, and the wider Naga community mourning the loss.
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It called upon both the Governments of India and Myanmar, as well as international actors, to take immediate steps toward accountability and dialogue, and stressed the need for de-escalation and restraining by all parties to prevent the further deterioration of the situation in the region.