The newest splinter group of the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, or NSCN(K), has “revived” the ceasefire agreement the outfit had walked out of in March 2015.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Niki Sumi faction of NSCN(K) said it has “decided to revive the ceasefire with immediate effect by revoking the earlier decision of unilateral abrogation of the ceasefire”.
The faction’s chief, “General (retired)” Niki Sumi, hoped New Delhi would respond positively “by honouring our decision as a confidence building measure in the larger interest of peace in Nagaland and Naga people in general”.
The development is believed to have virtually completed the alleged Indian strategy to isolate the Myanmar-based Nagas from those on the Indian side of the border towards settling the elusive Naga peace process.
More than 50 Naga tribes inhabit areas on either side of the India-Myanmar border. NSCN(K) was formed by Myanmar-based S.S. Khaplang in 1988 and had Nagas from both countries in almost equal measure.
The NSCN(K), which had declared ceasefire with the Indian armed forces in 2001, split into several factions since. The core group remained united until Khaplang’s death in June 2017 triggered a power struggle within the outfit in Myanmar.
