As the Centre reportedly deployed additional forces to secure the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur, two prominent organizations representing the Kuki-Zo and Naga communities vowed on Wednesday to jointly oppose this action.
According to a Deccan Herald report, the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) and the Nagaland Indigenous People’s Forum (NIPF) issued a joint statement asserting that the Centre’s decision to fence the border, despite opposition from the ethnic communities on both sides, risks further alienating and marginalizing these groups.
“This disregard for the concerns of the indigenous communities underscores the insensitivity of the government towards its own people. When the fence cuts through villages, it not only divides their homelands but also imposes restrictions on traditional practices and interactions with their counterparts across the border, further eroding their cultural identity,” the statement read.
The organizations reported that the Centre deployed additional forces along the border in Chandel, Tengnoupal, and Churachandpur districts of conflict-hit Manipur to enforce the fencing decision. They have been advocating for the “unification” of the Kuki-Zo and Naga communities living on both sides of the border.
In Manipur, the Kuki-Zo communities expressed outrage after Home Minister Amit Shah announced in February that the 1,643-kilometer Indo-Myanmar border would be fenced to prevent illegal migration. Shah’s announcement came amid the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur and the growing demand from the Meitei community to secure the border. The Meiteis argue that an open border has allowed Kukis to cross over and illegally settle in the hills of Manipur, posing a threat to their identity and culture over the years, while also aiding militants and smugglers.
Shah further stated that the Free Movement Regime (FMR) system, which permitted ethnic communities living within 16 kilometers on both sides of the border to visit without a visa, would also be terminated to curb illegal migration.
However, the Kuki, Mizo, and Naga communities oppose the move, arguing that fencing the border would divide families and communities that share ethnic ties. Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh all share a border with Myanmar.