Unease among Naga rebel groups as peace talks reach decisivephase

With the Naga peace talks reaching a decisive phase, twoviolent incidents within four days involving rebel outfits, in which one personhas been killed and another sustained injury, have rocked Dimapur, Nagaland’scommercial hub.

On Tuesday evening, Khekato Kinny, a leader of the Nagainsurgent outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Reformation),(NSCN-R), was injured in a shooting at his home in Chekiye village, onDimapur’s outskirt.“A shooting took place and one NSCN (R) member has beeninjured. We are conducting further investigations,” Limasunep Jamir, Dimapurcommissioner of police, said.Tuesday’s incident comes four days after ToisheYeptho, a mid-level functionary of the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN-IM, was shotdead at his Dimapur residence by two assailants.

Both the incidents have come at a time when Naga insurgentoutfits are engaged in talks with the Government of India and are close toresolving the decades old Naga peace talks.Condemning Tuesday’s incident, NSCN(R) issued a statement blaming NSCN-IM cadres of firing without provocation atKinny, who was with his family and children.

The outfit expressed surprise at the “offensive action” atthe time when Nagas are “yearning for peace and trying to hammer out apolitical solution with the government”While Hindustan Times was not able toget NSCN-IM’s version of Tuesday’s incident, some local media in Nagalandquoted an unnamed functionary of the outfit where he admitted NSCN-IM cadresfired after they were shot at.“At this stage it would be premature to sayTuesday’s shooting was between two outfits. We also can’t say for certain thatthe shooting was in retaliation to the Friday’s shooting incident in which anNSCN-IM functionary got killed,” Dimapur commissioner of police Jamir said.

On Tuesday, Western Sumi Hoho, a council of the Sumi tribe,issued a statement condemning the recent shootings and killings “amongst thecadres of various factions” and urged all to maintain peace.

“At a time when the entire Naga people are yearning forpeace and entering a crucial phase of our long protracted Naga issue towards asolution, these spates of killings and taking of lives amongst the differentwarring factions only show our narrow vision which belittles our sacred cause,”the statement read.The government of India and NSCN-IM, the biggest Nagainsurgent outfit, had signed a framework agreement in 2015 in a bid to find asolution to the Naga political issue. Talks have been underway between theCentre, NSCN-IM and seven other Naga outfits to conclude the peace talks.

Last week, newly appointed Nagaland Governor RN Ravi, whowas earlier the government’s interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, said thatPrime Minister Narendra Modi had given three months to find a resolution to thelong-pending issue.“There may be no connection between the recent violentincidents and the peace talks. It could be due to personal rivalry or somedifferences between the outfits. They should restrain themselves as everyone isexpecting peace and Nagas don’t want any killing among our own people,” saidNeivetso Venuh, professor of history at Nagaland University.