New Delhi: Amid talk of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur on September 13, the Centre is in the process of finalising the terms for extending the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement—considered one of the major steps towards restoring normalcy in the state—with the Kuki-Zo armed groups, ThePrint has learnt.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will be hosting a meeting Wednesday in the national capital with the constituents of Kuki-Zo armed groups that had signed the SoO agreement with the Centre in 2008, and the representatives of the Manipur government, to discuss the modalities, two persons aware of the development said.
The extension of the SoO agreement is considered one of the crucial steps towards bringing back normalcy to the ethnically divided state. If the PM indeed visits Manipur—his first since ethnic violence erupted in the state on May 2023—the extension of the SoO agreement will be seen as a major outreach towards the tribal Kuki-Zo community by the Centre.
The home ministry is also meeting Kuki-Zo civil society groups this week in Delhi. One of the persons aware of the development said that among the agenda of the meeting is to get a commitment from the civil society groups that Meiteis will be allowed to travel on National Highway-2 (connecting Imphal to Dimapur) under escort.
Though NH-2 is not closed, Meiteis have avoided travelling on it because of security concerns. They travel by air if they want to go out of the state, which many find unaffordable. The state government did try to normalise the operations but its efforts were not successful. If the Centre can get a commitment to allow Meiteis to travel freely on NH-2, it will be big step to regain their trust.
The extension of SoO agreement is one of the crucial steps to bring back normalcy to the ethnically divided state.
The agreement has to be renewed every year. But after the conflict that erupted between two ethnic groups—the non-tribal Meiteis and tribal Christian Kukis—the pact was not extended, once it lapsed in February 2024.
“We have ironed out all major differences. All the constituents are on the same page regarding the new ground rules. We are hoping that tomorrow, the modalities related to extension of SoO will be finalised,” one of the persons quoted told ThePrint Tuesday.
The tripartite agreement was first signed on 22 August 2008 between the Centre, the Manipur government, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), which together represented 25 insurgent groups comprising Kuki-Zo, Zomi and Hmars. The agreement was signed to end hostilities by initiating political dialogue with the armed groups active in the state and settle demands made by them for a separate homeland.
The home ministry met SoO constituents a couple of times in the last few months to iron out differences that had emerged over the SoO ground rules, that will be renewed along with the extension.
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SoO extension, a step towards normalcy
It was in June this year that the Centre had resumed talks with the SoO groups to renew the pact. The home ministry has had multiple discussions with the Kuki-Zo armed group to renew the SoO ground rules since then.
Under the SoO agreement, cadres of insurgent groups who came overground were put up in designated camps, called SoO camps. They have to deposit their arms in a safe room inside the camps, which is kept locked. The camps are regularly inspected by security forces.
The cadre cannot go outside the camps or take arms outside. Those living in SoO camps get a monthly stipend of Rs 6,000 as part of their rehabilitation process. In the new ground rules being finalised, the Centre has proposed to transfer the stipend directly to the accounts of individual cadre, subject to the condition that they were present in the camp at the time of monthly inspection by the central security forces, the first person quoted earlier told ThePrint. Earlier, the stipend was given directly to the cadre by the camp head.
The original ground rules also mandates that as long as SoO is in place, security forces—be it central or state—and the cadres in the camp, will desist from launching any operation against each other. The insurgent groups, who are signatories to the pact, will also not undertake any activity that threatens the territorial integrity of the state.
In the renewed ground rules under work, the first person added, the home ministry has said that the number of SoO camps—where the cadres of armed groups live—should be brought down from 14 to 10.
The SoO cadre strength in the 14 camps as of February 2024 was 2,181.
A physical reverification would also be done of the SoO cadres under the new ground ruled being finalised, the first person said.
Differences had emerged among the constituents over bringing down the number of SoO camps, and about a clause in the pact that SoO groups will not undertake any activity that threatens the territorial integrity of Manipur.
“Now, all the groups are on the same page and have agreed to bring down the number of camps to 10,” the second person said.
The SoO groups have the support of the elected representatives and civil society groups in the hills, and they are representing the tribal community in the ongoing talks to extend the agreement.
“The home ministry has made it clear that all discussions with the SoO groups will happen within the Constitutional framework,” the second person added.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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