Top leaders of Kuki community-based militant groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework held a crucial round of talks with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on August 5 to discuss the extension of the ongoing truce agreement.

A joint statement issued by the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples’ Front (UPF) said that key issues, including revision of SoO ground rules, consolidation and relocation of designated camps, were extensively deliberated during the meeting.

“The meeting concluded on a positive note with agreement on all issues and hope for early signing of the agreement,” the statement added.

The SoO pact was originally signed in 2008 between the Centre, the Manipur government, and several Kuki and Zomi militant groups operating under the banners of KNO and UPF. Under the agreement, these groups agreed to abjure violence and remain confined to designated camps monitored by security forces.

The agreement had been routinely extended every year until March 2023, when the Manipur government unilaterally withdrew from the pact, citing allegations that the SoO groups were inciting unrest against a state-led eviction drive in reserved forest areas. The withdrawal came just two months before the outbreak of large-scale ethnic violence in the state.

The recent dialogue in Delhi marks a significant step toward restoring the SoO framework and exploring a political solution to the long-standing demands of the Kuki groups.