Forum questions Centre, State response and SoO framework; rejects revenge but says condolences are no longer enough
The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has launched a strong criticism of the Centre, the Manipur government and Naga leadership following the killing of Naga civilians along the IT Road in Manipur on August 27, saying repeated condemnations and assurances have failed to prevent attacks on the community.
In a strongly worded statement issued on August 28, the GNF condemned the killing of four Naga civilians in the attack between Makui Ashang and Thanamba Naga village in Kangpokpi district and accused both the Central and State governments of failing to ensure the safety and dignity of Naga civilians.
The forum said the latest killings could not be viewed in isolation and alleged that they formed part of a wider pattern of violence against Nagas.
The GNF also raised questions over the security arrangements in Manipur, arguing that the presence of a large security apparatus had not translated into adequate protection for ordinary Naga civilians.
A major part of the statement was directed at the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework between the government and armed groups.
The GNF alleged that the SoO arrangement had been misused by armed cadres and claimed that designated camps were being used as staging points for attacks. It questioned the Central government’s continued reliance on the framework while Naga civilians remained vulnerable.
The forum also called for action against individuals allegedly linked to the latest attack, pointing to a statement by Thadou Inpi following the incident which, according to the GNF, named individual commanders associated with SoO camps and called for their arrest.
The GNF said general appeals for peace were no longer sufficient and challenged Kuki political leadership to ensure that armed elements operating within its political and territorial sphere were held accountable.
The forum also criticised Naga political leadership, accusing it of repeatedly responding to killings with statements, funerals and memoranda without securing effective measures to prevent further attacks.
“We have become a paralyzed nation,” the GNF said, arguing that the inability to protect Naga civilians travelling on their own roads represented a failure of leadership.
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The organisation also referred to six slain and dismembered bodies of Naga people which, it said, continued to lie in a hospital morgue, alleging that the demands of the Naga people regarding the victims remained unfulfilled by the Central and State governments.
The GNF said the continued failure to address the demands and ensure justice and dignity for victims had deepened the sense of abandonment among Nagas.
At the same time, the forum said it rejected a path of revenge.
“The GNF rejects the path of blind revenge,” it said, arguing that retaliation would serve the interests of those seeking to reduce the conflict to further violence.
Instead, the organisation called for concrete action to protect Naga civilians and hold those responsible for attacks accountable.
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The GNF said political leadership should ultimately be judged by its ability to protect civilians rather than by the number of statements issued after each incident.
The statement comes a day after four Naga civilians were killed in an ambush along the IT Road in Kangpokpi district. The incident has since drawn condemnation from political leaders and civil society organisations, while the Manipur government has said security forces have been directed to apprehend those responsible.
