Ceasefire agreements with three Naga insurgent groups extended

In a statement, the Union Home Ministry said the agreements are with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NK (NSCN-NK), National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Reformation (NSCN-R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland K-Khango (NSCN K-Khango).

New Delhi: The Centre has extended the ceasefire agreement signed with three Naga insurgent groups for one more year. In a statement, the Union Home Ministry said the agreements are with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NK (NSCN-NK), National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Reformation (NSCN-R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland K-Khango (NSCN K-Khango). It was decided to extend the ceasefire agreements for a further period of one year with effect from April 28, 2022 to April 27, 2023 with NSCN-NK and NSCN-R and from April 18, 2022 to April 17, 2023 with NSCN K-Khango, the statement said. These pacts were signed on Tuesday.

On September 8, 2021, the central government had signed a ceasefire agreement with another faction of the Naga insurgent led by dreaded militant Niki Sumi. These outfits are breakaway factions of dominant groups NSCN-IM and NSCN-K. The government had signed a framework agreement with the major Naga group NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015 in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India's Independence in 1947. However, the talks with the NSCN-IM are currently going nowhere as the group has been insisting for a separate Naga flag and constitution, a demand rejected by the central government.

PTI