Suspension of Operations Pact with Kuki-Zo Insurgent Groups

Context: The Manipur government declined to attend a central meeting to renew the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki-Zo insurgents.

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• The SoO pact with Kuki-Zo groups continues to exist in a status quo state.
• The Kuki-Zo insurgent groups are still present in designated camps in the hill districts of Manipur, but the stipends for the cadres have not been released by the state government for the past 26-27 months.

About Suspension of Operations (SoO) Pact

• It is an agreement that was signed in 2008 as a ceasefire agreement between the Indian government and various Kuki militant groups operating in the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland.
• The agreement came about in the aftermath of the Kuki-Naga clashes in the 1990s when hundreds were killed.

Terms of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) Pact (2008)

• Agreement:
  • Kuki groups stop violence and move to designated camps monitored by security forces.
  • The Indian government suspends operations against these groups.
• Monitoring: Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) oversees implementation.
• Restrictions:
  • Security forces cannot attack, and Kuki groups cannot launch attacks.
  • Kuki militants stay in camps with weapons stored securely.
  • Arms only allowed for camp security and leader protection.
• Compliance: Signatories agree to respect the Indian Constitution, laws, and Manipur’s territorial integrity.

Kuki Insurgency

• The Kuki insurgency began after ethnic clashes with the Nagas of Manipur in the early 1990s.
• The major reason for clashes is the land claimed by the Kukis as their “homeland” in the Manipur hills overlaps with the imagined Naga homeland of Greater Nagaland or Nagalim.
• Nearly 30 Kuki insurgent groups operate in Manipur, of which 25 are under tripartite SoO with the Government of India and the state.
• As many as 17 are under the umbrella group Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and 8 are under the United People’s Front (UPF).
• Initially, the Kuki outfits demanded a separate Kuki state, but now they seek a ‘Kukiland territorial council.’

Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA)

• The ZRA is a militant group operating in Manipur.
• Formed in 1996, its aim is to secure greater autonomy for the Zomi people, an indigenous community living in the region.
• The ZRA is believed to be a splinter group of the larger Zomi Nationalist Movement (ZNM), which was active in the 1980s and 1990s

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