New Delhi/ Imphal : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday announced that the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest militant group of Manipur, signed a peace agreement with the Centre.
The peace accord comes just days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said his government was holding talks with an Imphal Valley-based militant group and
ensured that a peace accord would be signed soon.
Describing the signing of a peace agreement a “historic milestone”, Shah said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has spearheaded “relentless efforts” to establish permanent peace in the Northeast.
“UNLF, the oldest valley-based armed group of Manipur has agreed to renounce violence and join the mainstream. I welcome them to the democratic processes and wish them all the best in their journey on the path of peace and progress,” the Home Minister said in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
A home ministry official said a peace monitoring committee (PMC) will be constituted to oversee enforcement of the agreed ground rules in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur.
Welcoming the UNLF to the “democratic
processes”, Chief Minister Biren Singh attributed the signing of the peace agreement with the UNLF on Wednesday in New Delhi was made possible under the able leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“With his wisdom and continuous guidance, a new era of peace and progress dawns in Manipur. A chapter of growth and development now opens as many extend their faith and trust toward the BJP Government,” the Chief Minister wrote on X.
Moreover, Singh said the UNLF signing a peace agreement is a testament to the relentless efforts of the BJP government in bringing peace and development in the North-East states and Manipur.
“As the UNLF negotiated a settlement and renounced violence, I expressed my appreciation for their decision to engage in “peace talks”. I welcome the UNLF group to the democratic processes and extend my best wishes for their journey on the path of peace and progress,” Singh further wrote
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The UNLF peace agreement stands as a historic milestone, set to invigorate peace and progress in the North East.”
The UNLF and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples’ Army (MPA), were among several Meitei extremist organisations in Manipur was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier this month.
The UNLF was formed in November 24, 1964 under the leadership of Areambam Samrendra Singh with an aim to achieve independence and a socialist society.
In the 70s and the 80s, the militant group concentrated mainly on mobilisation and recruitment.
In 1990, the UNLF launched an armed struggle for the ‘liberation’ of Manipur from India. In the same year, it formed an armed wing called MPA.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence since May 3 this year, after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to oppose the longstanding demand that the Meitei community be included in the list of the state’s Scheduled Tribes (ST),
Nearly 200 people have been killed since the ethnic clashes between the Meitei community and tribal Kuki-Zo community, on May 3. Several hundred people were injured and tens of thousands internally displaced in the violence, which is still ongoing in some locations.
