New Delhi: Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur on Tuesday (January 13) agreed to join the Manipur government on the condition that the Union and State governments give them a written commitment about supporting the negotiated political settlement for a Union territory with legislature under the Constitution, reported The Hindu.

A meeting was held in Guwahati on Tuesday, wherein the participants included the United People’s Front and Kuki National Organisation (KNO), the Kuki-Zo insurgent groups who are presently in the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with the government, five MLAs and two representatives of the Kuki-Zo Council and a civil society group.

The participant organisations resolved that the commitment for the Union territory must be “executed in a time-bound manner, specifically within the current Assembly tenure”. The tenure of the present state assembly ends in February 2027, said The Hindu report.

The development assumes significance because this is the first such resolution passed by tribal Kuki outfits in the strife-torn state which has witnessed ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities since May 3, 2023.

Following the violence, the Kuki-Zo outfits along with the insurgent groups have demanded a separate administration for the community.

Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February 13, 2025 with the 60-member Assembly where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 37 MLAs, remaining suspended.

The Hindu reported that the Union government is doing hectic parleys to restore the popular government and for this, it needs the support of 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs including seven MLAs from the BJP.

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