Naga Peace Talks May Drag On. No Breakthrough in Recent Talks in Delhi

The Naga peace process seems set to drag on because the 4 rounds of talks that the government of India held with the NSCN-IM in New Delhi from October 9 did not succeed in removing the bottlenecks.

Sources said the NSCN-IM stuck to their demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas, making headway in the peace process impossible.

NSCN-IM supremo Thuin-galeng Muivah did not attend the talks for health reasons and, according to sources, the other two top leaders VS Atem and RS Raising, are firm on the group’s core demand and did not seem flexible.

This raises the question, of whether the NSCN-IM actually wants to maintain the status quo as part of a possible strategy.

Now, why could the NSCN-IM be interested in dragging the issue? Of course, one can understand that any solution has to be acceptable. But it is also true that any negotiation involves give and take.

The NSCN-IM appears convinced that there can be no solution to the Naga problem without its concurrence.

The recent demand of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Nagaland Government for a new peace interlocutor may also have had an impact on the group’s negotiating team.

The NSCN-IM also could be keenly watching the turn of events within the NNPG.

Already there are some differences within the NNPG after its convenor Kitovi Zhi-momi was removed in April last.

Now, there is confusion as to who is the convenor of the NNPG. Kitovi Zhi-momi has formed his own faction of the NSCN (Unification). The original NSCN (U) of which Alezo Venue is a top leader and on a ceasefire with the Government of India. Whether the Zhimomi faction of the NSCN (U) is also in a ceasefire with the government remains unclear.

This confusion within the NNPG constituents, many feel, may be another reason why the NSCN IM may have decided not to bend at all from its stand.

The long-standing Naga peace talks, involving the NSCN-IM and the 7 NNPGs, have been in limbo since 1997.

A framework agreement was signed with NSCN-IM in 2015, followed by an agreed position with the NNPGs in 2017.

A major sticking point remains NSCN-IM’s demand for a separate flag and constitution.

In the recent meetings, the participants emphasized the need to elevate negotiations to the highest political level, appoint a credible interlocutor with the Government of India’s mandate, and infuse new momentum into the dialogue.

They also urged political groups to avoid factionalism and refrain from forming new groups, stressing unity as crucial for progress.

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