New Delhi, Apr 12 (UNI)The Centre has extended the ceasefire agreements with National Socialist Council of Nagaland/NK (NSCN/NK), National Socialist Council of Nagaland/ Reformation (NSCN/R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland/K-Khango (NSCN/K-Khango) for another year, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) communication said here on Monday.
“It was decided to extend the ‘Ceasefire Agreements’ for a further period of one year with effect from April,28 to April27 nest year with NSCN/NK and NSCN/R and from April 18 , 2021 to April 17, 2022 with NSCN/K-Khango”, the MHA said, adding that these Agreements were signed on April 12 for further extension of the agreement between these Nagas’ groups and the Government of India.
These three n are break away groups are splinter factions of dominant groups NSCN-K and NSCN-IM.
The NSCN-K had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre in 2001 but unilaterally abrogated it in 2015 when the then chairman of the group, S S Khaplang, was alive.
In December last year, the NSCN-K, led by dreaded militant Niki Sumi, had announced a ceasefire and said that the outfit has contacted the central government for initiating peace dialogue.
Sumi was also the prime accused in the killing of 18 Indian Army soldiers in Manipur in 2015 and the National Investigation Agency had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
The NSCN-IM had entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Central government in 1997 and has since then been engaged in peace negotiations.
The NSCN-IM had signed a Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a permanent solution to the Naga issue.
The Framework Agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India's independence in 1947.
However, the talks with the NSCN-IM is still continued for a amicable solution as this group has been adamant for a separate Naga flag and Naga Constitution which has been rejected by the Centre.
UNI AKS JAL 2058