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MHA, Kuki-Zo groups agree to relocate 7 SoO designated camps near Meitei areas

Imphal: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Kuki-Zo insurgent groups have agreed to relocate and close seven designated camps under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement situated near Meitei-dominated areas.

“The second round of talks held on Monday has reached an understanding on the closure and relocation of at least seven SoO camps located close to Meitei-populated zones. However, the meeting did not discuss the extension of the SoO agreement but focused on revising ground rules, which is seen as a more immediate priority,” said a person familiar with the discussions. “The locations for the new camps would be discussed in a third meeting which is yet to be scheduled. “It has been agreed in principle that any relocated camps should be in tribal areas,” the source said.

Rajya Sabha MP and titular king of Manipur, Leishemba Sanajaoba, also weighed in via his official Facebook page. He wrote, “The SoO Pact was signed in 2008 during the then State Congress Government with two Kuki-Zo Umbrella Insurgent Groups – UPF & KNO, comprising 25 groups with around 2,200 cadres. Earlier, their demand was Autonomy, but after May 2023, they have demanded a Union Territory or Separate Administration with a Legislative Assembly for the Kuki-Zo People. Such grave missteps of the previous government led to this chaos situations in the state.”

The UPF and KNO had signed the tripartite SoO agreement in 2008 along with the central and state governments. During the time of signing the pact, around 2,200 cadres from these 25 constituent groups reside in 14 designated camps across the hill districts of Manipur.

Sanajaoba also questioned the rationale of the pact, asking, “What was the point of signing such a pact with these groups when they neither revolted against the state nor the Union governments at that time?”

The recent meeting did not address the extension of the SoO agreement. However, representatives of the insurgent groups reportedly presented new proposals involving security arrangements. MHA emphasised two key concerns the recovery of looted weapons and restoring full operation of National Highway-37 (Imphal–Silchar via Jiribam) and National Highway-2 (Dimapur–Moreh via Imphal), both of which have remained blocked since ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023.

The original SoO agreement was signed in response to the Kuki-Naga ethnic clashes of the 1990s, in which hundreds were killed. The insurgent groups initially demanded an autonomous Kuki-Zo council within Manipur. Since 2023, their demands have escalated to seeking Union Territory status with its own legislature.

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