Camp Hebron visit by Centre’s envoy is a gesture to Naga rebels. Both parties should seize the momentum, clinch a deal

Talks were stalled after the NSCN-IM objected to the stance of the then interlocutor R N Ravi. Ravi had reportedly set October 31, 2019 as the deadline for concluding the framework agreement with or without the NSCN-IM’s consent. The NSCN-IM interpreted Ravi’s statements as an attempt to arm-twist the outfit to sign a deal. The stalemate that ensued threatened to turn worse when a botched counter-insurgency operation by a special forces unit led to the killing of six civilians in Mon district in December last year. To begin with, Mishra has to restore the trust between the NSCN-IM and the Centre. His gesture to visit Camp Hebron, a first by an interlocutor, signals the Centre’s keenness to take the talks forward. The NSCN-IM has been intractable on its stance that the Centre must agree to a separate flag and Yehzabo (constitution) for Nagaland. The NSCN-IM is deeply suspicious of the NNPGs, which claim the backing of civil society, and have a different view of what the framework agreement entails. In fact, the Centre and the NSCN-IM seem to read the framework agreement, especially the parts on sovereignty, differently: In a statement issued on April 10, the NSCN-IM has sought to interpret the agreement as a document that provides for solutions which will allow India and the Nagas “to co-exist as two friendly entities under the principle of shared sovereignty”.

Mishra needs to negotiate with all the stakeholders within the contours of the framework agreement. The big challenge will be to persuade the NSCN-IM to abandon maximalist positions and accept a middle ground that will ensure durable peace in the region. The informal meeting at Camp Hebron is a good beginning.