Forum for Naga Reconciliation calls for unity and forward movement in Naga-Land

The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) has issued a clarion call for unity and cooperation among Nagas. In a statement titled “Nagas and All Inhabitants – WE,” the forum stated that divisions within the community threaten the pursuit of a lasting solution for Naga-Land. As the FNR expressed, “swift moves of good and evil are taking shape in great finesse on the global front,” and Nagas are not exempt from these challenges. “Often, the closer to home or within the home, issues become most intractable,” the statement read.

“People of Naga-Land cannot defend what is ours if we are in conflict within us and with the democratic values and powers that exists,” the FNR statement read.

Highlighting the importance of unity, FNR urged adherence to a statement agreed upon by Naga Political Groups (NPGs) on September 14, 2022: “We are aware of our differences and hence we guard ourselves against rifts that further divide us. We are committed to transcend our differences through cooperation… on the basis of the Covenant of Reconciliation.”

The 2022 statement, signed by the NSCN (IM) Collective Leadership and the Working Committee of NNPG, emphasized that true cooperation, “socially and politically imaginative and prudently concrete,” marks the beginning of nation-building. This spirit of cooperation, FNR stressed, is essential for any real progress.

Reflecting on the “Covenant of Reconciliation” (CoR) signed on June 13, 2009, the FNR noted its impact in reducing violent confrontations which was a daily phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s. “It is therefore imperative that all NPGs and the public know that the CoR is binding and no one shall break this Sacred Covenant signed before God and the people,” FNR stated.

FNR cautioned against divisive rhetoric, cautioning that the “warrior instinct of the war cry by different individuals and cultural (‘tribe’) groups” does not serve the Naga spirit, but rather “weakens” it. In a call for a new approach, FNR urged Nagas to “think and act differently without giving in,” adding, “We must move on without diverting.” The FNR asserted that the public’s role, “just around the Naga ‘Morung,’ should not be taken lightly.”

Reaffirming a commitment to “defend the relative rights of the Nagas,” the FNR called for cooperation with all parties involved to protect and strengthen Naga-Land. It encouraged Nagas to avoid a “backward-looking view of history,” acknowledging its importance but urging the community to move forward: “Let us not despair at the present snags and unlighted highway,” the FNR stated, calling this an urgent time to cooperate, organize, mobilize and stay engaged with all stakeholders for ‘an honorable’ imaginative Naga political solution. “Do not delay!” the FNR statement concluded.

MT