COCOMI accuses centre of aiding Myanmarese rebels
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, December 03 2024: In a scathing critique, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has accused the government of India of compromising Manipur's sovereign territory by allowing ethnic rebel groups from Myanmar to exploit and destabilise the state.

This assertion came amidst the ongoing crisis triggered by what COCOMI terms as "Kuki aggression" which erupted on May 3, 2023.The Committee has called for urgent clarity and action to address the deteriorating situation in the state.

According to a statement of COCOMI, the government of India's administrative policies have failed to safeguard the state's territorial sovereignty, allowing external influences and systemic failures to exacerbate the crisis.

It highlighted several credible revelations from senior officials and leaders that underscored the gravity of the situation.

Former Governor of Manipur, Anusuiya Uikey, had earlier stated in The Hindu on July 15, 2023, "Infiltrators may have fuelled the Manipur crisis" .

She later admitted to The Print on November 21, 2024, "There is an international hand behind the conflict, which is why violence can't be stopped despite the Centre's efforts.

People of the state wanted the Prime Minister to visit.

Despite repeated requests sent to the PMO, he has not visited".

Adding to this, former chief justice of the High Court of Manipur, Siddharth Mridul stated in The Hindu on December 1, 2024; "The violence continues due to infiltration, smugglings of drugs and arms through Myanmar, and demographic changes over the years".

These statements, according to COCOMI, expose the Government's ineffective border management and inability to tackle illegal activities, which have fuelled the unrest in Manipur.

COCOMI cited recent findings from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealing the involvement of Kuki militant groups such as the Kuki National Army (KNA), Kuki National Front (KNF), and United Kuki National Army (UKNA) in heinous crimes, including the murder of four civilians in January 2024 .

Despite these findings, the Government has failed to dismantle infrastructure of these groups or hold them accountable for their actions.

COCOMI also highlighted the findings of a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Illegal Immigration, led by minister Letpao Haokip, which had identified 2,480 illegal immigrants in 2023 across various districts.

However, the exercise was prematurely halted after the violence erupted in May 2023, leaving thousands of illegal settlers unaccounted for.

This failure, as reported by the Economic Times on May 12, 2024, has further intensified the conflict.

Reports from border villages, as published by Ukhrul Times on May 18, 2024, have shown that Kuki militants operate freely across the India-Myanmar border, acquiring arms and getting logistical support.

COCOMI accused central security forces, particularly the Assam Rifles, of inaction or even collusion with these groups.

Villagers have also witnessed drone bombings and cross-border operations that have worsened the situation, it maintained.

COCOMI also cited another report by Ukhrul Times quoting an Indian Army officer as stating, "KNA or KNA (B) are the same.

On the Myanmar side, they are known as KNA (B), and just a change of nomenclature when they cross the border" .

This acknowledgment, according to COCOMI, underscores the Governments act of facilitating, or failing to prevent or address cross-border militant activity.

Unequivocally terming the crisis as "Kuki Aggression under the Disguise of India's Proxy War", the Committee accused the Government of deliberate inaction, mismanagement of the India-Myanmar border, and complicity in allowing cross-border militant activities.

It also criticised the Government's repeated downplaying of the crisis as an "ethnic conflict" or "communal tension" which COCOMI claimed absolves the government of its responsibility to address the root causes.

Pointing to the Government's failure to enforce territorial sovereignty, curb illegal immigration, and dismantle militant networks, the Committee argued that the same has direct bearing on the prolonged violence and instability in Manipur and urged the people of Manipur and citizens across India to recognise the gravity of the situation and hold the Government accountable.

COCOMI also called for immediate acknowledgment of the crisis as a "proxy war" involving external actors and state negligence.

It demanded decisive action to secure the India-Myanmar border, dismantle armed militant groups, conduct transparent investigations into allegations of collusion between security forces and Kuki armed groups, and implement a comprehensive strategy to address illegal immigration, illegal poppy cultivation, and the trafficking of arms and drugs.

The committee appealed to all Manipuris and like-minded citizens of India to reject misleading narratives and recognise the crisis as a deliberate compromise of Manipur's territorial and demographic security by the Government.

It urged citizens to demand accountability, justice, and decisive action, asserting that the survival and sovereignty of Manipur depend on collective resolve.

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