The Zomi Innkuan USA, a civil society organisation of Zo people based in the United States of America, last week held a peace rally outside the Embassy of India in Washington DC, where it called for “the Central Government of Bharat, that is India” and especially the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to expedite the process of creating a separate administration for their people in light of the ongoing ethnic conflict in the north-eastern state of Manipur.
The Zomi Innkuan said, “The State government’s (read Manipur) actions, particularly against the minority Zomi-Kuki tribes, have caused great pain and division in the region,” further adding that it was placing its trust on the Indian and government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue promptly.
Dr. Hauzachin Suante, Executive Director of Zomi Innkuan, said in a statement issued after the rally, “The ongoing violence in Manipur has caused immense suffering to our people. We gather here today to appeal to the Central Government of Bharat, that is India, and especially Prime Minister Modiji, to expedite the process of establishing a separate administrative unit for the Zo tribes. This is not only our demand but also our hope for a better future.”
The Zomi Innkuan was formed in 2005 and comprises members of Zo tribes settled across the fifty States of the United States of America. The organisation said that the peace rally, held on September 15, was a testament to the Zo people’s commitment to peace and harmony.
Manipur in India has been reeling under the ethnic conflict between the dominant valley-based Meitei community and the Scheduled Tribe hills-based Kuki-Zo people since May 3. In the violence, over 170 people have been killed so far, with hundreds more injured and tens of thousands of people internally displaced.
