“Day We Get Settlement…”: Kuki Militants’ Umbrella Physique Spokesperson On Manipur’s Territorial Integrity

New Delhi:

The spokesperson of an umbrella physique of 17 Kuki rebel teams in Manipur has expressed hope in reaching separation from the state whereas it’s underneath the President’s rule.

Seilen Haokip, the spokesperson of the Kuki Nationwide Organisation (KNO), additionally defined the nuances of the phrases “territorial integrity of Manipur” as talked about within the floor guidelines of the suspension of operations (SoO) settlement.

“… There is no such thing as a apprehension in regards to the function of SoO and political demand being diminished in any means,” Mr Haokip mentioned in response to a query on political unity throughout a ‘Area’ session on X on April 27.

“Actually, President’s rule is a time when the state authorities has been placed on an animated suspension. And that is the time we will transfer ahead if we’re united and permit the federal government to take its plan of action. So, it is a good time for us,” Mr Haokip mentioned.

“As a result of earlier, at any time when within the final two years, for example, the federal government tried to provoke their dedication with the SoO teams, someway or the opposite the chief minister would trigger issues in some locations to divert the method of SoO talks. Now, now we have that out of the best way,” Mr Haokip mentioned, referring to former chief minister N Biren Singh, who belongs to the Meitei group and who the Kuki tribes maintain answerable for the outbreak of ethnic hostilities.

The previous chief minister has refuted the allegations. He maintains his authorities’s actions resembling crackdown on unlawful immigrants, unlawful opium poppy cultivation, and forest encroachers weren’t geared toward any specific group.

“However, as I discussed earlier, the issue I’ve encountered is extra of our inside points, specifically over nomenclature or by way of discounting SoO in ways in which they suppose are true. On that depend I’ve acknowledged in quite a few locations, title one factor that the SoO have carried out that’s counter to our political calls for? Have we ever compromised, have we ever reneged on any of the factors of commitments? No. So, I hope that response will utterly dispel any notion of disunity in that respect or any form of waning by way of engagement,” Mr Haokip mentioned.

Twenty-five rebel teams of the Kuki, Zomi and Hmar tribes come underneath two umbrella organisations for the aim of negotiations with India – the KNO, of which Mr Haokip is the spokesperson, and the United Folks’s Entrance (UPF) led by the Zomi Revolutionary Military. The KNO is led by the Kuki Nationwide Military.

The KNO representing 17 armed teams and the UPF representing eight armed teams signed the tripartite SoO settlement with the Centre and the state authorities as a part of wider political talks. They’d been negotiating for a territorial council, till the demand modified to finish separation from Manipur after the breakout of ethnic clashes two years in the past.

The valley-dominant Meiteis are in opposition to the division of Manipur, whereas the Kuki tribes in southern Manipur’s hill districts and a few areas within the northern components desire a separate administration or ‘Kukiland’ carved out from Manipur.

To a query for readability on the point out of “territorial integrity of Manipur” within the SoO settlement, Mr Haokip mentioned the problem of Manipur’s territorial integrity will not be relevant after the Kuki tribes get the political resolution they’ve been searching for.

“Territorial integrity was a clause inserted by the federal government of Manipur at a time – if you wish to categorise it – pre-Third Might, the previous years. And at that time our demand was for a territorial council. So there isn’t any contradiction in phrases the place you’ve gotten territorial council and territorial integrity as a result of TC [territorial council] was to be inside Manipur,” Mr Haokip mentioned within the ‘Area’ session on X, the place he additionally took questions.

“It was a clause that was disliked immensely, however technically there was no contradiction as a result of the territorial council was to be inside Manipur. Nevertheless, submit Third Might, issues have modified, there was a paradigm shift. The clause territorial integrity doesn’t make any that means to us anymore. It’s irrelevant to us anymore. However technically, it’s nonetheless there within the preamble of the SoO floor guidelines, not within the political dialogue platform,” Mr Haokip mentioned.

There are two distinct platforms – SoO, which refers back to the floor guidelines; there, the Structure of India is within the first paragraph of the preamble, and secondly, the state authorities had inserted the territorial integrity clause, Mr Haokip mentioned.

“Put up Third Might, till now we have settlement for the SoO preamble part, that [territorial integrity clause] will stay. It should stay within the sense… Let me attempt to clarify – submit Third Might, the assertion of the phrases Lamka and Kangui has gained momentum. Nevertheless, till now we have a settlement, the official phrases will nonetheless be Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. And that would be the similar with respect to the territorial integrity clause. The day now we have our settlement, robotically the territorial integrity ingredient will probably be irrelevant, of no consequence, and we can have the appropriate to formally name Lamka city Lamka, and Kangpokpi district Kangui,” Mr Haokip mentioned.

Whereas Meitei civil society teams have alleged SoO group insurgents of participating within the Manipur violence underneath the guise of ‘village volunteers’, the Kuki tribes have pointed again at Meitei insurgents who they claimed returned from conflict-hit Myanmar to assault Kuki villages.

The primary time the Manipur Police mentioned they discovered proof of SoO group and Meitei insurgents concerned within the combating was in September 2024, once they recovered 5 our bodies in Jiribam district following a gunfight.

Three had been confirmed as insurgents of the SoO signatory Kuki Liberation Military (KLA) from Churachandpur district; the fourth was a Kuki volunteer from Jiribam, and the fifth was recognized as a member of the Meitei rebel group United Nationwide Liberation Entrance (Pambei), or UNLF(P), which signed a ceasefire with the Centre and the state in November 2023 – the primary and oldest Meitei rebel group to signal a ceasefire.

There are numerous villages of the Kuki tribes within the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei group and the practically two dozen tribes underneath the Kuki group, together with ‘Any Kuki Tribes’, have killed over 260 folks and internally displaced practically 50,000.

The overall class Meiteis need to be included underneath the Scheduled Tribes class, whereas the Kukis who share ethnic ties with folks in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram desire a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of sources and energy with the Meiteis.