Guwahati: Two Myanmar-based factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) have been flinging accusations at each other—including that of collusion with the Indian and Myanmar security forces—throwing into sharp relief the crisis in leadership in the Naga movement across the border even as a civil war ravages the country.
The situation is further complicated by the intricate geopolitical landscape spanning across India and Myanmar. While Indian Naga leaders believe the factionalism in Myanmar won’t impact their own peace talks with New Delhi, they have reiterated their demand for an “early solution” to the Naga political issue, saying this would lead to the end of most such divisions.
With the Naga people straddling both sides of the India-Myanmar border, the NSCN has had leaders from both countries.
The NSCN was formed after a split from the political organisation, the Naga National Council, on 2 February 1980.
The manifesto of the NSCN was based on the principle of socialism for economic solution backed by a spiritual outlook of ‘Nagaland for Christ’. It had initially aimed to establish a sovereign ‘Nagalim’, consisting of areas inhabited by Naga people in northeast India and northwest Myanmar. Later, animosity developed within the leadership of the NSCN.
Eight years on, it split into the NSCN-Isak Muivah and the NSCN-Khaplang in April 1988 over differences in initiating a dialogue process with the Centre.
The NSCN-K, formed by Shangnyu Shangwang Khaplang, a Hemi Naga from Myanmar, is based in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, and also active in parts of eastern Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. In February 2019, the NSCN-K’s headquarters in Ta Ga was raided by the Myanmar military, which prompted the cadres to move closer to the border region.
Since Khaplang’s death in June 2017, the NSCN (K) has seen multiple splits of its own. In 2018, the group divided into two factions: one led by Indian-origin leader Khango Konyak—later impeached in an internal struggle—and the other led by Khaplang’s nephew, Yung Aung.
A split in the Yung Aung faction in June 2023, however, led to the formation of a breakaway group under Ang Mai, who plays an influential role in the ongoing ethnic and political dynamics in both Myanmar and the Naga regions in India.
It’s the factions led by Yung Aung and Ang Mai that are now at loggerheads over leadership and governance issues. The latter has accused the former of advocating “isolationism” and making false claims of fighting the Indian and Myanmar forces. The Yung Aung faction, for its part, has accused the Ang Mai group of being in cahoots with the Myanmar military and planning their own ceasefire with it, jeopardising Naga unity.
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Ang Mai group vs Yung Aung group
Soon after the split between the Ang Mai and Yung Aung factions, there were confrontations between the groups over resources, extortion and forced recruitment, sources said, though the two sides reportedly came to an understanding with the efforts of the local community. Local media in Myanmar reported that there were reports of aggression among the factions in Nan Yun township in the Hkamti district of Sagaing Region in early October.
Security sources told ThePrint that Ang Mai has more than 100 cadres, while Yung Aung faction has a cadre strength of about 400-500. However, sources in the Ang Mai group said that their cadre strength is far higher, and about 600 are stationed at the general headquarters of the group in Sagaing’s Naga Self-Administered Zone (NSAZ), near the Indian border. The sources further said that both the groups are actively recruiting cadres.
The NSCN had formed a ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagaland (GPRN)’, which administers areas under the control of the NSCN/GPRN. The Ang Mai faction of the NSCN/GPRN has positioned itself as a protector of Naga interests against what it perceives to be deceitful and “destructive” actions by Yung Aung.
In a statement released by the Ang Mai group Thursday, Yung Aung was called a “gangster” and a threat to the future of the partitioned Eastern Naga tribes along the Indo-Myanmar border.
The statement described Yung Aung’s mission as one that “takes the Eastern Nagas backward, and advocates isolationism” against Ang Mai’s efforts at modernisation.
It also alleged that Yung Aung has been falsely claiming to be “fighting the Indian security forces and the Myanmar Army”.
Further, it called the Myanmar Naga leader’s family puppets “enjoying the protection of Indian security forces” in New Sallang village of Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, on the Myanmar border.
On the other hand, the Yung Aung group or NSCN-K (YA) has been asserting its commitment to “full sovereignty” for the Naga people, emphasising that there can be no talks with India or Myanmar if the issue is not addressed.
Last month, the Yung Aung group alleged that the Ang Mai faction had a nexus with the Myanmar junta and that the two were planning to sign a ceasefire agreement, which it said posed a serious threat to the unity and stability of the Eastern Nagas. Sources said the Ang Mai leaders had met with representatives of the junta in Monywa town in September.
In a press statement on 28 September, the Yung Aung faction cautioned the Myanmar authorities against involving the NSCN-K or the Nagas in the current conflict, saying that they had maintained neutrality since the beginning.
‘Early solution’ to Naga political issue
Speaking to ThePrint, NSCN/GPRN (K) Ato Kilonser (general secretary) Isak Sumi—of the faction formerly led by Konyak—who is based in India and is also the co-convenor of the Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (WC/NNPGs), said that almost “90 percent of problems would fade away with an early solution”.
Comprising seven Naga insurgent groups, the NNPGs have reiterated their commitment to the “Agreed Position” signed between the Working Committee and the Centre on 17 November, 2017.
“It is very unfortunate that the Naga national groups keep splitting. This has nothing to do with ideology, but more of a leadership crisis. The technical issue with both Ang Mai and Yung Aung (is that) despite their claims of representing the entire Naga population, their activities are largely restricted to areas beyond the border,” said Sumi.
“Claims and counter-claims among groups may continue, to legitimise one and delegitimise another, but it is the common people that face the brunt of such problems. There might be an involvement of external forces as well. That is why we have been insisting on having an early solution” he added.
Negotiations between the Centre and the NSCN-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) faction that leads the talks have entered the 27th year, but the peace process remains stuck over the outfit’s demand for a separate Naga national flag and Constitution in recognition of the “Naga history spanning over 70 years”.
A senior NSCN-IM leader told ThePrint that the Centre, being aware of Nagas’ rights, would no longer argue for settlement, but “prolong the matter to tire down the NSCN”.
“Such an approach would do no good for India,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, Sumi emphasised the importance of India’s stance on the Myanmar issue, saying that New Delhi needs to adopt a clear and well-defined policy.
“The situation in Myanmar is complicated. How the Indian government approaches the Myanmar issue would be crucial—the kind of interference and involvement. The Centre is not in a position to do anything with the Naga issue in Myanmar, though there may be undercurrents because the basic aspiration of the Nagas is a common united Naga homeland transcending state boundaries, national or international borders,” he said.
He said that there was no armed conflict between the Naga groups in Myanmar even as there may be differences of opinion among the leaders. Despite the split between Ang Mai and Yung Aung factions, they have tried to maintain peace, said Sumi.
“They are maintaining a sort of understanding there (in Myanmar). The situation may not be comfortable, but an uneasy peace prevails. This is because of the efforts of the civil society groups and student leaders in Myanmar Naga region, who have vowed not to allow any fratricidal violence among the Naga political groups in their area,” he added.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)