The long drawn Indo-Naga peace process now in its teenage years has endured many ups and downs to the point of testing the limits of all the players involved whether the Government of India or the Naga armed groups. To the credit of all, the greater cause for a peaceful resolution of the Indo-Naga political problem has ensured that the peace process has survived the rough weather till today. However the recent stand-off between the two NSCN (Khaplang and Khole-Kitovi) following the split in 2011 is the latest threat to the hard earned peace and reconciliation taking place among the Nagas. A quick and peaceful resolution of the current crisis between the two sides is required in order to save the situation from collapsing completely. While there has been finger pointing of who is to blame for the current impasse, it is of deep concern that the respective ceasefire mechanism with the Government of India has all but collapsed as is seen from the near confusion prevailing with regard to the monitoring and supervision of the ceasefire ground rules. The unfortunate passing away of the Chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group, at a crucial time when the spilt in the NSCN Khaplang is still fresh, has only added to the problem. The Government of India should have given more priority in finding a quick replacement so that the current fluid situation on the ground can be handled with better care. There is no proper communication between those on the ground and people sitting in Delhi. The confusion over opening of a sub office for the NSCN Khaplang at Padumpukhuri, Dimapur and the war like situation created as a result of the opposition from the rival NSCN could have been averted. The Union Home Ministry should have handled this particular case with more deft.
It is obvious that everything is not right with the current ceasefire mechanism in place. There is a clear case for revamping it because it appears that the ground rules and other aspects of the ceasefire is now outdated and requires many correction in tune with the changed ground reality of three NSCN groups now in ceasefire with Delhi. In fact the ceasefire ground rules have been framed more than ten years back and there has been no proper review. And as is well known by now, the two major concerns is the rampant extortion plus criminal activities taking place as a result of cessation of hostilities and free movement of cadres and also the factional clashes taking place on a regular basis thereby disturbing public peace. All these will have to be factored in while reworking or revising the ground rules. A revision of the ceasefire ground rules is definitely long overdue and one that will reflect the concerns of people who have for long voiced their strong disapproval against the criminalization of the Naga issue. Besides, reviewing the ceasefire in terms of the known concerns it is also required to bring in clarity of thought on some major points so that ambiguity in the ground rules is not used as an excuse to violate and misinterpret the ceasefire to one’s own liking and fancies. Likewise, the Ceasefire Monitoring Group/s need strengthening for the effective implementation of the ground rules. Also the channels of communication need to be kept open to ensure contact and timely resolution of any crisis.
