Manipur violence: Assam CM meets Kuki leaders, discusses ways to restore peace

In a significant development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, as part of the efforts to restore peace and normalcy in violence-hit Manipur, has held a closed-door meeting with the state's Kuki tribal leaders and Kuki rebel groups in Guwahati.

Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip, while talking to the media about the Sunday night meeting with the Assam Chief Minister, said that the discussion was "very positive, and was heading in the right direction".

"We discussed the ceasefire and the end of any kind of offensive from both sides. We have responded positively. We are hopeful that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister will take positive steps to resolve the crisis," Haokip said.

Sources said that leaders of the KNO and United People's Front (UPF) met Assam CM Sarma and discussed the prevailing situation in strife-torn Manipur.

The meeting in Guwahati is a sequel to the government's outreach efforts to resolve the crisis at the earliest.

The KNO and UPF are umbrella bodies of different Kuki militant groups.

There have been allegations from different quarters that Kuki militants were involved in the recent series of violence in Manipur.

A source close to Sarma, who is also the convenor of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), is likely to visit Manipur's tribal-dominated districts Kangpokpi and Churachandpur soon, and hold talks with the Civil Society Organisations and influential tribal leaders.

Sarma on June 10 was on a day-long visit to Manipur during which he held a series of meetings in Imphal with his Manipur counterpart N. Biren Singh, several ministers, many MLAs and organisations, including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) as an effort to tame the hostilities in the state that has so far killed over 105 people and injured more than 320.

According to political analysts, Sarma, who is close to Home Minister Amit Shah, was carrying a message from Delhi to find a solution to the ethnic violence by involving all stakeholders.

Amid the Kuki militants' alleged role in inciting tribals against the government, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi in April and apprised him about the 'ground situation' and 'adverse activities' of three outfits -- the Kuki National Army (KNA), Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA).

The Manipur government earlier in March decided to unilaterally withdraw from Suspension of Operation (SoS) and a tripartite agreement with three insurgent groups was in accordance with the government's assessment that these outfits are supporting the influx of Myanmarese immigrants from across the border, encouraging illegal poppy cultivation and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) in a letter to Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Monday strongly objected to the inclusion of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and representatives of the COCOMI, an apex body of the valley-based civil society organisation, in the peace committee headed by governor.

The Meitei civil society organisations alleged that the Kuki militants who are in SoO are largely involved in the recent violence in the state.

There are 2,266 Kuki cadres staying in different designated camps in Manipur after the Centre and the Manipur governments signed the tripartite SoO agreement with three outfits -- KNA, ZRA and KRA -- on August 22, 2008.