“Nagalim shall be sovereign in all matters of her own affairs” – Muivah
After more than five decades, Thuingaleng Muivah – the 91-year-old general secretary of the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) – finally returned home to Somdal village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. The week-long homecoming ended on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, with a massive reception in Senapati, where the veteran Naga leader made a rare public address calling for unity and an “honourable Indo-Naga political solution based on the 2015 Framework Agreement.”
Appearing frail but resolute, Muivah called for Naga unity and reaffirmed that any settlement with New Delhi must remain true to the “letter and spirit” of the 2015 Framework Agreement signed between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India. “The Naga national flag and the Naga national constitution are non-negotiable,” Muivah declared, warning that the Government of India had been “desperately doing its utmost to betray the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement.”
Thousands of people from across Naga-inhabited areas gathered at the Senapati ground, donning traditional shawls and headgear. Banners bearing Muivah’s image lined the streets. The massive turnout, observers noted, was as much a display of emotion as it was of political symbolism – a reminder of Muivah’s enduring influence over Naga politics even as the peace talks remain stalled.
In his speech, Muivah framed the Naga struggle as a moral and historical truth recognized by India itself.
“The Framework Agreement and the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué of July 11, 2002 have officially recognized and acknowledged that Nagalim is not a part of India or Myanmar either by consent or conquest,” he said.
Expanding on the essence of the Framework Agreement, he stated that it “recognized and acknowledged that ‘sovereignty lies with the people,’” describing the Naga flag and constitution as integral to that sovereignty.
“The ‘sharing of sovereign powers’ concluded from the political negotiation shall constitute the constitution which shall be called Yehzabo — the Nagalim national constitution,” he said.
Muivah further explained that the recognition of Nagalim’s unique history and situation meant that “the violent military conflict was not initiated by the Nagas but by the GoI which had let loose hell on the Nagas by arming Indian soldiers with Martial Law.”
“The fact that Nagas did not raise their hand on the rampaging Indian soldiers despite extreme provocations from 1946 to March 1955 is an undeniable fact,” he said, recounting that “hundreds of villages were set ablaze, daughters were molested and raped, wives before husbands and sisters in front of brothers. Mass killings went up to tens of thousands.”
He continued that “Nagalim shall be sovereign in all matters of her own affairs” and that the “sharing of sovereign powers” between the two entities “made it crystal clear that Nagalim is outside the Union and Constitution of India and Myanmar.”
Muivah asserted that the “letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement duly recognized and acknowledged that the Naga national flag and Naga national constitution is the foundation for an enduring, inclusive new relationship of peaceful co-existence of the two entities.”
“The negotiated political settlement shall be inclusive of all Nagas, wherever they are, who uphold and subscribe to the non-negotiable Nagalim unique history, sovereignty, territory, national flag and national constitution,” he said.
The NSCN (IM) leader reminded the gathering that the Framework Agreement was co-signed by his “late friend, Chairman Isak Chishi Swu,” urging that it “must not be violated or tarnished.”
“The GoI has been desperately doing its utmost to betray the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement by refusing to acknowledge the Naga national flag and Naga national constitution. May I remind Nagalim and my Naga people that the Naga national flag and Naga national constitution are non-negotiable and they are the sole basis for a negotiated political settlement between the GoI and the NSCN — past, present and future.”
Muivah cautioned Nagas against what he described as the “Indian state strategy of divide and conquer,” alleging that “some sections of Nagas have become pawns in the hands of the GoI and its agencies.”
“The NSCN/GPRN do not recognize any agreement signed within the Constitution of India – past, present and future. Any Nagas and organizations who are promoting and advocating the corrupt version of the Indian state and its agencies shall be deemed as traitors to the Naga nation,” he warned.
Muivah emphasized that “the only honourable negotiated political agreement shall be according to the letter and spirit of the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué and the Framework Agreement,” asserting that these documents, along with “the Naga national flag and the Naga national constitution, are the rallying point for Nagalim and the Naga people wherever they are.”
Muivah invoked faith as the foundation of their endurance: “Remember that it is Yahweh who fights our battles and if He is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31),” he said, thanking “the Naga people, well-wishers and friends from mainland India and the international community,” assuring that “the NSCN/GPRN, Nagalim and the Naga people shall defend and stand firm for our unique history and sovereignty given to us by Yahweh the Almighty, to the last, come what may.”
‘Naga People’s Declaration’ adopted
A “Naga People’s Declaration” was adopted on Wednesday at Tahamzam (Senapati) during the civic reception held in honour of Th Muivah, Ato Kilonser of the NSCN/GPRN and Chief Negotiator of the Indo-Naga political talks.
Endorsed by the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women’s Union, Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR-South), tribe hohos, district apex bodies, and village chairmen, the declaration reaffirmed the people’s mandate placed upon the collective leadership of the NSCN/GPRN to represent the rights and interests of the Nagas in the ongoing Indo-Naga dialogue.
It reiterated the Naga people’s commitment to an inclusive, honourable, and acceptable solution based on the 2015 Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and the NSCN, while affirming unity and resolve to stand together “as one people” in their struggle for self-determination and a shared future.
