Militant outfit DNLA signs peace agreement with Assam govt
2 min read . Updated: 27 Apr 2023, 09:23 PM IST
PremiumThe DNLA will lay down the arms and abide by the indian Constitution. A total of 179 DNLA cadres will surrender their arms and ammunition, the agreement says
NEW DELHI : The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), an insurgent group operating mostly in Assam's Dima Hasao district, on Thursday signed a peace agreement with the government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
After the group signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the home minister said Assam no longer has any tribal militant group.
"With this, all tribal militant groups in Assam have joined the mainstream," Shah said.
According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the DNLA will lay down the arms and abide by the Constitution. A total of 179 DNLA cadres will surrender their arms and ammunition.
The central and state governments will provide ₹500 crore each for the development of the Dimasa tribal areas.
After the peace agreement was signed, the home minister said, "This agreement is another significant milestone towards making North-East insurgency-free by 2024 and fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a peaceful and prosperous North East".
Shah said that this peace agreement will put a complete end to the insurgency and with this, there are no more armed groups in Assam today.
“PM Modi has put forward the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed Northeast before the country and the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving forward in this direction," Shah said.
"Under the agreement, the representatives of DNLA have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organization, vacate all camps occupied by DNLA cadres and join the peaceful democratic process as established by the law," the home minister said.
On September 2021, the DNLA had declared a unilateral ceasefire for a period of six months following an appeal by the chief minister. The ceasefire has been extended since then.
The DNLA announcement in 2021 came two weeks after the insurgent group allegedly fired upon on a convoy of seven trucks in the Dima Hasao district, killing five people and injuring one.
The DNLA was established in April 2019 seeking a sovereign territory for the Dimasa tribals and launched an armed insurgency to achieve its goal.