NEW DELHI: Officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) held a meeting with insurgent Kuki-Zo groups and persuaded them to relocate and shut down seven designated camps under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement that are located near Meitei-dominated areas, sources said.
They added that the MHA officials also stressed the recovery of looted weapons and the reopening of National Highways.
Notably, security agencies on the ground in Manipur had earlier proposed the closure of seven out of 14 existing camps situated close to Meitei-inhabited areas in the Valley, the sources said.
A source familiar with the talks said, “The second round of talks was held earlier this week, where the two sides reached an understanding on the closure and relocation of at least seven SoO camps located close to Meitei-populated zones.”
He, however, clarified that there was no discussion on the extension of the SoO agreement, as the talks primarily focused on revising the ground rules, which is seen as a more immediate priority.
“The locations for the new camps would be discussed in a third meeting, which is yet to be scheduled. It has also been agreed in principle that any relocated camps should be in tribal areas,” the source added.
Rajya Sabha MP and ceremonial King of Manipur, Leishemba Sanajaoba, wrote in a Facebook post: “The SoO Pact was signed in 2008 during the then State Congress Government with two Kuki-Zo umbrella insurgent groups – UPF and KNO, comprising 25 groups with around 2,200 cadres.
Earlier, their demand was autonomy, but after May 2023, they demanded a Union Territory or separate administration with a Legislative Assembly for the Kuki-Zo people. Such grave missteps of the previous government led to the chaotic situations in the state.”
The UPF and KNO had signed the tripartite SoO agreement in 2008 with the Centre and the state as parties to the pact, and since then, around 2,200 cadres from these 25 constituent groups have been residing in 14 designated camps across the hill districts of Manipur.
As there was no discussion on the extension of the SoO agreement, representatives of the insurgent groups reportedly presented new proposals involving security arrangements.
The MHA emphasised two key concerns — the recovery of looted weapons and restoring full operation of National Highway-37 (Imphal–Jiribam–Silchar) and National Highway-2 (Dimapur–Imphal–Moreh), both of which have remained blocked since ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023.
