The ceasefire signed by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) with the Union government has been broken. The agreement signed in 2001 and periodically renewed came to an end recently. A crackdown and reprisal followed predictably. In the latest incident, NSCN (K) cadres ambushed a party of Indian soldiers. What are these ceasefires worth? The NSCN came to a boil in the 1980s and a section of Myanmarese Nagas came into its fold. The demand for greater Nagaland including contiguous areas of Myanmar became strident. The NSCN however split in 1988 into the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (Khaplang). In 1997 the NSCN (IM) signed a ceasefire with the Centre and the NSCN (Khaplang) did the same in 2001. In 2012, the NSCN (Khaplang) also struck a deal with the Myanmarese army signing a ceasefire with it. But a faction of the Khaplang group continued targeting the Myanmar army and ran a government in exile. Some of the separatist outfits of the North East sought asylum in Myanmar.
The government of India should take drastic steps to tackle insurgencies in the North East. It should not follow the counter-productive policy of pitting one faction of the Nagas against another. That may only intensify resentments in the region. Separatist groups in the North East have been always volatile and they break up from time to time adding to the crisis. Delhi’s measures should address the fissiparous tendencies with a coordinated policy. It has already concluded an agreement with Bangladesh. The same should be done with Myanmar as soon as possible. Ceasefires only put the issues on ice. A resolution of the Naga crisis brooks no delay.
