No Agreement After First Meitei and Kuki-Zo Meeting: Here's What the Two Sides Said

Imphal: For the first time since ethnic violence began on May 3, 2023, representatives of the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities sat together for a peace meeting organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on April 5. However, the meeting ended without any agreement between the two sides.

From the Meitei side, six representatives from two organisations – the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) – were present. Eight members representing the Kuki-Zo Council and the Zomi Council attended from the Kuki-Zo side. MHA officials, including Northeast advisor A.K. Mishra, along with Manipur chief secretary P.K. Singh and additional director general of police Ashutosh Kumar, were also present to mediate the discussions.

The main objective of the meeting was to appeal for peace. The MHA presented a draft containing several demands and requested civil society organisations (CSOs) from both communities to sign it. Key points from the draft, as shared with The Wire by people present in the meeting, included free movement on all highways, transportation of essential goods, and prioritisation of road and infrastructure construction.

While Meitei CSOs expressed readiness to sign the draft, the Kuki-Zo CSOs refused.

'COCOMI didn't appear'

Speaking to The Wire, Henlianthang Thanglet, chairman of the Kuki-Zo Council, said, “From the Meitei side, only AMUCO and FOCS came, but COCOMI didn’t appear, which allows them to violate the rules. From the Kuki side, we were all present.”

The COCOMI or Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, which has been active in the valley in providing relief to people living in camps since the onset of the violence, is one of the most influential Meitei civil society organisations in Manipur.

The group has strongly criticised the Delhi peace meeting, calling it a staged attempt to legitimise Union home minister Amit Shah’s narrative in parliament on the Manipur crisis merely having been an “ethnic conflict.”

The group labelled the talks as a façade intended to divert attention from the root causes of the conflict, which they believe is the Union government's support to Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement since 2005, and the Union government's own failure to enforce law and order, and to address the real causes of the violence.

COCOMI has accused the Union government of acting as a partisan player rather than as a neutral peace broker and condemned the peace talks as a public relations exercise timed to coincide with the Union home minister’s speech in parliament.

The Kuki group has demanded the abrogation of the SoO agreement, accountability for highway blockades and territorial occupation, and strict action against separatist threats like “Zalengam” and “Kukiland.”

COCOMI has also called for a terror-free environment in Manipur, before any genuine dialogue can begin.

Speaking to The Wire, Khuraijam Athouba, spokesperson of COCOMI, said, “The government should implement the National Register of Citizens in Manipur. Everyone should be okay with it because it will identify illegal immigrants, and that’s the only way forward.”

In the meeting, Kuki-Zo representatives expressed disappointment over COCOMI’s absence and said it was one of the most important reasons to not take this conversation forward.

'Free movement'

When asked whether the Kuki-Zo's only objection to the list of demands was over the clause on the free movement of people, Thanglet responded, “Yes, we are fine with the other demands. Anyway, the free movement of essential goods and other things is already happening in Manipur after President’s Rule. Also, the absence of key Meitei organisations was the reason we were not ready for any commitment.”

Thanglet said they were opposed the idea of unrestricted movement because the situation is "still sensitive," and the people of Manipur "have not yet healed from what they lost during the past two years of violence."

The Kuki-Zo Council also requested the MHA to implement the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) across the entire Manipur region. They argued that only a full imposition of AFSPA would allow central paramilitary forces to take complete control, replacing what they described as a biased and ineffective local administration. 

This was not the first attempt by the MHA to bring various stakeholders to the table. Last year in October, the ministry convened a meeting involving a set of Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga MLAs from the state. However, the Kuki-Zo MLAs later stated that they interacted with MHA officials separately and did not meet the MLAs from other communities.

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