Imphal, Apr 8: Meitei-based civil organisations — All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO) and Federation of Civil Society (FOCS) —, which recently attended peace talks with Kuki-Zo representatives in New Delhi, on Monday said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) provided a six-point resolution as a roadmap to peace in the state.
Addressing reporters, AMUCO president Nando Luwang said, “We were verbally invited by the MHA for the meeting. The dialogue was a positive step forward. We joined the meeting without any preconditions and presented the concerns of the people to the MHA. The meeting focused on finding solutions. MHA representative AK Mishra instructed us to discuss ways to find solutions rather than engage in debates.”
Luwang continued, “After thorough discussions, ministry officials framed a six-point resolution, which was circulated to all parties present for feedback on omissions and commissions. We gave our consent to the six points.”
He added, “There were many advantages to attending the meeting, which was initiated by the MHA to find solutions to the issues in the state. The April 5 meeting marks the beginning of a roadmap for the peace process and peaceful coexistence in the state.”
Speaking on the six points, Luwang said, “The MHA has asked the civil society organisations (CSOs) to appeal to the people on both sides to refrain from violence. All long-term contentious issues will be addressed with the MHA through dialogue and consultation with the communities.”
He added that officials from the Home Ministry hinted at the possibility of future rounds of dialogue to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution.
BM Shah, acting president of FOCS, said, “There will be no compromise on the territorial integrity of Manipur.”
For the first time since ethnic violence started in the northeastern state nearly two years ago, the representatives of the warring Meitei and Kuki communities met face-to-face on April 5 as the Centre intensified efforts to restore peace and bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.
The meeting, held at the aegis of the Union Home Ministry, discussed various aspects of the ongoing conflict and decided to continue their dialogue to find an amicable solution acceptable to people of the state.
A six-member Meitei delegation comprising representatives from the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) attended the meeting. The Kuki delegation comprised about nine representatives from the Kuki-Zo Council.
A meeting of Kuki-Zo, Meitei and the Naga MLAs organised by the Union home ministry in October 2024 did not materialise as the legislators from the warring communities refused to sit in the same room.
At that time, they met central government interlocutors separately, even though the back-to-back meetings were held at the same venue in the national capital.
President’s rule in Manipur was imposed on February 13 after the then chief minister N Biren Singh resigned on February 9.
The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.
About 260 people have lost their lives ever since the ethnic violence broke out between the Imphal valley-based Meitei and neighbouring hills-based Kuki communities in May 2023. Several thousand arms were looted from different police stations across Manipur during the initial phase of the conflict. (PTI)
