Recently, the Centre Government stated that it is willing to engage in conversation with insurgent groups in Manipur in order to bring about long-term peace in the region.
Insurgency first appeared in Manipur in 1964, with the founding of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), which is now one of the most dangerous militant organisations.
The growth of separatist insurgency in Manipur is mostly linked to perceived dissatisfaction with Manipur's claimed "forced" merger with the Union of India, as well as the following delay in granting it full-fledged sovereignty.
While the former Kingdom of Manipur was amalgamated with India on October 15, 1949, it did not become a state until 1972.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), among others, were created in the latter years. These valley-based organisations have been advocating for an independent Manipur. The Naga movement in neighbouring Nagaland has spread into Manipur's hill regions, with the NSCN-IM controlling the majority of them while pushing for "Nagalim" (Greater Nagaland), which is seen in the valley as a "threat" to Manipur's "territorial integrity." While the hills cover nine-tenths of Manipur's land area, they are sparsely inhabited, with the valley housing the majority of the state's inhabitants.
The Meitei community predominates in Imphal valley, whereas Nagas and Kukis live in the neighbouring hill areas. The ethnic confrontations between Nagas and Kukis in the early 1990s resulted in the development of various Kuki insurgent organisations, which have since toned back their desire for a separate Kuki state to a Territorial Council. As the conflict raged on, smaller organisations such as the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), People's United Liberation Front (PULF), and other breakaway groups emerged.
To crush the insurgent movement, the Centre designated the whole state of Manipur a "disturbed region" in 1980 and enforced the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which is still in effect today. Assam Rifles and the army had carried out operation "All Clear" in the hill areas, neutralising most of the militants' hideouts, with many of them moving to the valley.
Even though peace discussions between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India are still ongoing, the NSCN-IM agreed to a cease-fire agreement in 1997. On August 22, 2008, the Kuki outfits under two umbrella groupings, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF), signed tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) pacts with the Governments of India and Manipur. Many of their smaller companies, on the other hand, have signed the SoO agreement with the state government, which has initiated rehabilitation programmes for such groups. However, key valley-based militant organisations (Meitei factions) like as the UNLF, PLA, KYKL, and others have yet to negotiate.
The federal government's tactic of reaching a negotiated solution with violent groups has backfired. Because many of the outfits' goals clash with one another, every traditional deal with one organisation becomes a source of agitation for other groups.
Given that peace discussions with insurgent organisations are ongoing, there has been a propensity for the groups to continue the armed insurgency by another faction, but with a change in name or by founding a new group.
The link between officials, militants, and criminals exacerbates the state's troubles. Some of the organisations operate as criminal gangsters that make a living through extortion, abduction, and contract assassinations. Nonetheless, criminals use the disturbance to extort money while portraying themselves as militants. Furthermore, most security concerns are politicised by political parties in order to generate mileage for vote banks by escalating conflicts.
Because Manipur is a border state with a porous international border in a hazardous jungle environment, the influx of guns and trans-border movement of insurgent organisations that rely on other nations for training and other essential logistical assistance is ongoing.
Good governance must be established in the state through a transparent administration, a fair court system, respect for the rule of law, and the supply of the bare necessities such as hospitals, schools, and police stations. There is a need for political truthfulness, as well as the right allocation of funding for the state's growth, both in the valley and in the highlands. This should be followed by economic development by engagement in government, semi-government, and private business.
Before launching any counter-insurgency policy or actions, the Indo-Myanmar international border must be properly managed. To enhance national integration, connection and intermingling between Manipur's different populations and mainland India should be improved. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), women's groups, as well as games and cultural programmes, might be used to help restore trust among the valley and hill masses.
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