DIMAPUR, JANUARY 27 (MExN): The NSCN (IM) has issued a statement supporting the concerns raised by the Myanmar-based Naga Students’ Organization (NSO) regarding ongoing internecine violence between Naga Political Groups in the Naga Self-Administered Zone, Sagaing, Myanmar.
In a press release issued by its Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP) on January 27, the group described the NSO’s recent appeal as an “urgent voice” of the people. The Lahe-based student body had expressed alarm over repeated clashes between the NSCN-K (Yung Aung) and NSCN-K (Angmai-Mulatonu) in recent weeks.
“It’s time for the Naga political groups to stop the politics of factional fight and vendetta” the statement noted, adding that such conflicts only serve the interests of “aggressor governments.”
The NSCN (IM) stated that the Naga political movement is fundamentally people-based and depends on public support for its sustainability. It warned that the current “melee of factional fight” is a “dangerous symptom” that risks drowning out Naga aspirations in a “wilderness of fragmented national political groups under the obsessive nomenclature of NSCN.”
The release alleged that the governments of India and Myanmar utilise a strategy of encouraging multiple groups to weaken the movement’s collective strength.
The NSCN (IM) claimed these “perverse incentives” are designed to create internal fissures and prevent groups from mounting a serious challenge to government forces.
“India and Myanmar will go to any extent to prevent the Nagas from presenting a united front... eroding their unity and collective strength,” the statement read. The group added that factionalism often prioritises personal gain over the public good, leading to “unethical, corrupt and violent methods,” including assassinations and smear campaigns.
According to the NSCN (IM), the focus of the Naga public is being shifted away from core political issues due to the sensationalism surrounding these internal conflicts. The group called on all factions, regardless of affiliation, to abandon the “politics of factional fight and vendetta” and listen to the people.
Unless the various groups reconcile their differences, it said that they risk being “condemned by history.” It urged all Naga political entities to uphold the “truth” of the movement to ensure it remains aligned with the people's aspirations.
