Insurgency in the North East and Naga Peace Process

Context

In a letter to Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio on June 16, the government interlocutor with Naga entities and Governor R.N. Ravi, asserting his powers under Article 371A of the Constitution, virtually accused both the State Government and the predominant Naga armed group NSCN-IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah) of undermining law and order and State legitimacy without naming any Naga group. He charged the armed gangs with running a parallel government and extorting taxes.
The ambitious Naga peace talks between the Central Government and the NSCN(IM) might suffer a blow, raising concerns over the growing trust deficit between the largest insurgent group and the Central Government leading to a new phase of violence and insurgency.

Background

The British annexed Assam in 1826, and in 1881, the Naga Hills too became part of British India. The first sign of Naga resistance was seen in the formation of the Naga Club in 1918, which told the Simon Commission in 1929 “to leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient times”. In 1946 came the Naga National Council (NNC), which, under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo, declared Nagaland an independent state on August 14, 1947. The NNC resolved to establish a “sovereign Naga State” and conducted a “referendum” in 1951, in which “99 per cent” supported an “independent” Nagaland. One of the major problem areas is that the Northeast is territorially organized in such a manner that ethnic and cultural specificities were ignored during the process of delineation of State boundaries in the 1950s, giving rise to discontentment and assertion of one’s identity.

Insurgency in the North-East

The northeast comprising of eight States – Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim– a region poorly connected to the Indian mainland by a chicken-neck Siliguri corridor, and surrounded by many countries such as Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China, is the setting for a multitude of conflict that undermines the idea of India as a prosperous and functioning democracy. Language, ethnicity, tribal rivalry, migration, illegal immigration, control over local resources and a widespread feeling of exploitation and alienation have resulted in violence and diverse demands by various insurgent groups.

Reasons for Insurgency in the North-east

The key drivers of various conflicts and insurgency are listed below:

• Political Mobilization by Insurgent: The insurgent groups construct a social imaginary based on real or perceived political or ethnic or cultural subjugation by other communities. By doing so, they vindicate the need for violent assertion of their concerns. The insurgent leaders also showcase their armed cadres, weapons and financial power in the affected regions which attracts the unemployed youth to join them.
• Porous International Border and availability of Arms: Due to the porous border, the insurgents can easily flee to neighboring countries such as Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and also establish their underground insurgent bases. Moreover, the youth of northeast is vulnerable to drug addiction due to the flourishing drug trade in the so-called Golden Triangle. The easy availability of arms to insurgents enables them to sustain their movements.
• Armed Forces Special Powers Act: AFSPA, which was enacted in 1958 amid the nascent Naga insurgency, gives powers to the army and state and central police forces to shoot to kill, search houses and destroy any property that is “likely” to be used by insurgents in areas declared as “disturbed” by the MHA. Security forces can “arrest without a warrant” a person, who has committed or even “about to commit a cognizable offence” even on “reasonable suspicion”. It also protects them from legal processes for actions taken under the act.Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts is collective name of several acts passed by Indian parliament for providing special powers to the Armed Forces and to provide army officers and jawans legal immunity for their actions in disturbed areas.

• The issue of Governance : The seven sisters plus Sikkim are populated by nearly 40 million inhabitants who vary in language, race, tribe, caste, religion, and regional heritage. When all of them are clubbed under the “North East” tag, it tends to represent a “one shoe fits all” approach for this extremely diverse region. The creation of the Sixth Schedule has firstly created multiple powers of center, secondly more and more regions demanding such autonomous councils. This implies that somewhere the government policy has failed to bring in a genuine process of democratization or autonomy in the region.
• Tough Geography: Without supportive terrain, lightly armed, highly mobile insurgent cadres cannot sustain the superiority of the Indian Army. Due to supportive terrain, the groups are able to surprise the Military by tactics of guerrilla warfare.

Naga Peace Process

The Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) successfully concluded the dialogue on Naga political issue, which has existed for six decades, and signed an agreement. This agreement will end the oldest insurgency in the country. It will restore peace and pave the way for prosperity in the North East. It will advance a life of dignity, opportunity and equity for the Naga people, based on their genius and consistent with the uniqueness of the Naga people and their culture and traditions.The Government of India recognized the unique history, culture and position of the Nagas and their sentiments and aspirations. The NSCN understood and appreciated the Indian political system and governance almost simultaneously with the resistance. Interlocutor and Governor R.N. Ravi reportedly signed an agreement on October 31, 2019 to sign a final peace deal later, keeping the dialogue process alive.

History of Accord: On June 29, 1947, Assam Governor Sir Akbar Hyderi signed a 9-point agreement with moderates T Sakhrie and Aliba Imti, which was almost immediately rejected by Phizo. The Naga Hills, a district of Assam, was upgraded to a state in 1963, by also adding the Tuensang Tract that was then part of NEFA. In April the next year, Jai Prakash Narain, Assam Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha and Rev. Michael Scott formed a Peace Mission, and got the government and NNC to sign an agreement to suspend operations that September. But the NNC/NFG/NFA continued to indulge in violence, and after six rounds of talks, the Peace Mission was abandoned in 1967, and a massive counter-insurgency operation launched.

Insurgency and Ceasefire in the North-east

• The basic ingredient of insurgency i.e. popular support is drying up in the region. Insurgency is active only in Manipur. There are around 50 insurgent groups in Manipur.
• The surrender and rehabilitation policy for the insurgents are faulty. There is no proper verification of the surrendered militants. Large numbers of surrendered persons are not militants.
• Ceasefire and Suspension of Operations with militant groups allows them to indulge in extortion and kidnapping, which in turn helps them in maintaining their clout over the people of the region.
• There exists deep nexus between all the insurgent groups in the Northeast. The CPI (Maoist) is also in touch with the northeast insurgents primarily to source weapons. Arms were given by the United Liberation Force of Asom (ULFA) to the CPI (Maoist) in West Bengal.
• While most of the insurgent groups especially from Manipur have camps along the India-Myanmar border in Myanmar, the ULFA has small hideouts along Myanmar-China and Myanmar-Thailand border areas in Myanmar. The North East militants also visit neighboring countries like Nepal.
• The biggest challenge to the North East is extortion carried out by various insurgent groups. Extortion has become meticulously organised activity in the region and is one of the major sources of funds for the militants.

Suggestions

• Thorough background check of all insurgents groups should be carried out before the central government enters into any ceasefire or suspension of operations agreements with the insurgents.
• Special economic zones along India-Bangladesh border, especially in Meghalaya and Assam should be set up and focus more on the development and security of the border areas.
• Sentiments of the people of Arunachal Pradesh should be taken into consideration by the central government while discussing the frameworks for resolution of the border dispute with China.
• Matching infrastructure and military capability should be built to ensure peace and enable negotiations from a position of strength.
• The international borders in the northeast are extremely porous. Thus, cross border infiltration of militants, and smuggling of arms is rampant in the region. Dimapur has become the hub for the collection of sophisticated arms smuggled from across the border, especially Myanmar. Small arms, on the other hand, are sourced from illegal arms factories in Bihar and smuggled into the North east and distributed to the militant groups.
• Mizoram has also emerged as a major conduit for arms smuggling from Myanmar. The problem is aggravated because of no deployment of border guarding.
• Intelligence is the key in securing the border areas.
• The Autonomous District Councils should be empowered.
• Governance should be improved in a step by step manner. Strict supervision should be initiated to improve the governance.
• Greater awareness about the Look East Policy and its benefits to the North East should be generated among the policymakers and the intelligentsia of the region.
• Opinion on the opening of the Stilwell Road was divided. While some welcomed the opening of the road, others expressed apprehension arguing that northern Myanmar has virtually become China.
• The Ministry of the Development of the North East Region (DoNER) be merged with the North Eastern Council (NEC) or better strategic planning and coordination of various developmental projects in the region.
• Niche tourism or high-end tourism should be encouraged. Medical and higher education tourism should be encouraged.

Conclusion

Governor R.N. Ravi will have to think out of the box to get Thuingaleng Muivah to accept a solution within the framework of the Constitution of India. In his recent TV interviews to East Mojo and News Live, Muivah says the Nagas will not budge from their own flag and Constitution.
The grim cycle of insurgency has somewhat subsided in northeast over the years but few pockets are yet to come out of its grip. Periodic incidents of violence, extortion, bomb blasts are still being witnessed. The security agencies has been working constantly to dismantle the insurgent framework in the region and have achieved considerable success. However, new threats like Maoism and Islamist militancy are raising their heads and the government needs to develop a strong action plan to eradicate this menace before it spreads its tentacles in the whole region. A dedicated development plan along with tough security measures would surely be able to curb the menace of insurgency.

Connecting the Dot

Question for Prelims:

Consider the following statements regarding Naga Political Problem:

1. The British annexed Assam in 1826, and in 1881, the Naga Hills too became part of British India.
2. The Naga Club in 1918, told the Simon Commission in 1929 “to leave us alone to determine for ourselves.”.
3. The Naga Hills, a district of Assam, became state in 1963, by adding the Tuensang Tract.

Which of the Statements given above is/ are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Question for Mains:

‘The AFSPA became the roadblock to bring peace in the northeast’. Discuss. suggest the ways to bring normalcy in the region.