Mokokchung, 29 June (MTNews): The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) has called upon the signatories of the Covenant of Reconciliation (CoR) to desist, in toto, from using violent or extremist language.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the FNR made an open call to the signatories that the CoR which was signed on 13 June 2009 marked a significant milestone in ceasing violence among “different” Naga political groups. The FNR reminded that, over the past 14 years, the signatories have reaffirmed their commitment to the CoR on five separate occasions with the most recent validation occurring on 14 September 2022 in Sovima which was named the September Joint Accordant.
In the September Joint Accordant, the signatories had resolved “… to refrain from all forms of rhetoric, assumptions, and agendas that are divisive. Such a culture must end immediately.”
“The above resolve emerged from common convictions that rise above a group’s political purity and self-justification,” the FNR statement emphasized.
“We need to cultivate and activate what was affirmed on September 14, 2022, and supported by all Naga apex organizations, the Church and the State Government. More significantly, the NNPGs and the NSCN agreement of January 14, 2023, present the way forward. It cannot be misused, compromised or erased at the hands of any individuals or groups,” the FNR added.
The FNR, asserting its moral authority, stated that the open call was issued to the Naga Political Groups, any individual or group “to desist, in toto, from using violent or extremist language defaming and undermining our shared humanity.”
The FNR underscored the significance of abiding by the CoR’s spirit and intent, calling on all parties involved to respect the sanctity of the agreement. “One cannot supersede the law of the Divine, in whose name the Covenant of Reconciliation was solemnly signed,” the FNR reminded the signatories.
It may be mentioned here that the NNPGs and the NSCN-IM, both signatories of the CoR, have been engaged in issuing press statements against each other in recent days which perhaps prompted the FNR to issue the open call.