Dimapur, January 25 (MExN): The Shanry Range Students’ Association (SRSA) on January 25 has issued a strong appeal for peace while condemning the armed confrontation between the NSCN-K (Yung Aung) and NSCN-K (Angmai-Mulatonu) on January 24 in Toke village.
In a press statement, the SRSA described the incident as a grave escalation of factional violence that once again placed innocent civilians at the centre of armed conflict. The students’ body termed the acts a blatant violation of civilian safety and fundamental human norms.
Highlighting the long-standing plight of civilians, the association stated that for decades the people of the Shanry Range have been trapped in a “pincer of oppression,” enduring authoritarian governance under the Myanmar regime on one side and persistent destabilisation by armed Naga factions on the other. The latest “clash between brothers,” it said, underscored how political ambition has repeatedly been placed above the sanctity of human life.
Describing the situation as one where a peace-loving population has been pushed to the brink, the SRSA said residents have been compelled to live under constant fear, displacement and systematic violations of their fundamental rights. The psychological toll, it added, has been immeasurable, with an entire generation growing up amid trauma, while access to healthcare, education and basic dignity has become a casualty of prolonged conflict.
Issuing what it termed a serious and final appeal, the SRSA demanded an immediate cessation of all hostilities, asserting that civilian areas must never again be used as battlegrounds. It also called for the complete withdrawal of all armed groups from the Shanry Range, stating that the region would no longer be used as human shields or strategic staging grounds.
The association further demanded the restoration of human dignity through the protection of innocent lives and an immediate end to all unlawful activities disrupting peace and civilian life. It urged armed groups to abandon confrontation and commit to dialogue, restraint and genuine efforts towards peaceful resolution.
Warning of consequences if violence continues, the SRSA said it would formally withdraw all cooperation from both armed groups operating in the area and, in solidarity with the local community, mobilise collective civil action to isolate and resist those responsible for perpetuating violence.
“The suffering of innocent civilians must end now,” the statement said, adding that the association would no longer remain silent while ancestral lands are turned into arenas of fear and bloodshed.
