Tripartite Suspension of Operations pact signed between Centre, Manipur, Kuki-Zo groups

The SoO agreement was signed by the Centre and the Manipur government with Kuki militant groups in August 2008. (Reuters file photo)

The Centre on Thursday signed a tripartite agreement to renew Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki-Zo militant groups and convinced Kuki-Zo groups to open the highways that were blocked for Meitei people for the last two years.

The signing of the agreement comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur later this month.

"In a significant decision, the Kuki-Zo Council has decided today to open the National Highway-02 for the free movement of commuters and essential goods. The decision came after a series of meetings between officials of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and a delegation of KZC in the last few days at New Delhi," The Ministry of Home Affairs tweeted.

The decision came after a series of meetings between officials of the MHA and a delegation of KZC in the last few days at New Delhi. KZC has given commitment to cooperate with Security Forces deployed by GoI to maintain peace along NH-02.

The Suspension of Operation was first signed between the Government of India, Manipur government and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) on August 22, 2008, to cease hostilities. The militant groups agreed to completely stop any form of violence. The Centre and the state also agreed that no force (army, paramilitary, state police) would launch operations against the signatories if they abide by the agreement’s terms.

The SoO was signed in order to foster an environment that would allow for political dialogue to resolve all Kuki-related political issues. Since June 2016, when the official political dialogue between the armed groups and the government began, an interlocutor has been appointed by the central government. There have also been numerous political negotiations with the centre. According to the Kuki people, since May 3rd in the state of Manipur, violent clashes have started when negotiations were about to produce a political solution.

The unilateral suspension of the SoO by the state in March 2023 is also seen as one of the factors behind the ethnic violence that has roiled the state since May, with the trigger being a High Court order (read down subsequently) that said the state should ensure Meiteis get Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, sparking a protest by Kukis that turned violent. Since May 3, 2023, after ethnic clashes broke out, the state has been divided on ethnic lines with Meiteis restricted to the valley districts and Kuki-Zo people in the hills.