The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) has urged NSCN (IM) General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah to “tender an unqualified apology to the Naga people” ahead of his proposed visit to his native village, Somdal in Ukhrul district, Manipur, on October 22.
According to a press statement issued on Sunday, the ZUF claimed that Muivah, now 91, has failed to deliver on the aspirations of the Naga people, despite decades of sacrifice by communities, particularly the Zeliangrong.
The organisation accused Muivah of “personally ordering targeted killings of prominent leaders and orchestrating arson in villages, while enjoying international mobility, leaving ordinary Nagas to bear the brunt of violence.”
The statement recalled that “a few years back a noted and renowned Naga church leader had proposed the idea of apology from the stalwarts of the underground movement as well as from others if necessary for a general acknowledgement of past mistakes and repentance.” It added that “it is a common knowledge of Nagas that Thuingaleng Muivah needs to apologise for going against the institution of the Naga National Council (NNC) by forming the National discriminate killing culture of the communists.”
Further, the ZUF alleged, “The phenomenon was learned by Muivah from his gurus and ideological masters in China. Moreover, all these were so much unchristian-like happenings. Bloodshed had no place in earlier Naga life even as the ‘freedom movement’ was started way back. NNC cadres and other Naga soldiers fought Indian army and other adversaries but the culture of mutual killings and annihilation came from Muivah and his gang.”
The group also highlighted recent tensions in Zeliangrong areas, including allegations of persecution and extortion by NSCN (IM) members, warning that “continued confrontations could spark further clashes.”
It reminded that the Zeliangrong people have pursued their own political aspirations for a ‘Zeliangrong Homeland’ within the Indian Union under the leadership of Ranima Gaidinliu, and stated that these efforts “have never been appreciated by NSCN (IM) leadership.”
The ZUF described Muivah’s planned visit as a “desperate attempt to revive support through misleading propaganda.” Reaffirming its political stance, the organisation asserted that its members remain committed to their long-standing goals and urged communities to remain vigilant against what it termed “hollow political propaganda” linked to the 2015 Framework Agreement, which it said “has failed to deliver a genuine solution.”