FOCS appeals for a united front of armed groups
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 07 2024: Amid heightened deadly attacks being carried out by Kuki militants that have resulted in deaths of unarmed civilians, the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) has urged all armed groups to band together and streamline their approach to successfully face all emerging threats to the public.

At the office of the Manipur Women's Federation at Kakwa Boroi Makhong today, FOCS president Th Manihar said over the last few days, Kuki militants have unleashed a new form of terror attack on civilian population using advanced drones and long range rockets.

The fresh barrage of attacks since September 1 has killed at least two civilians.

Considering the nature of the offensive that has been unleashed against civilians and the use of advanced weapons, the village volunteers and all the armed groups must come together and unite, he said.

Manihar said a unified front of all armed groups would be a strong enough force to face all emerging threats to the safety and lives of the public.

When combining their strength, Manihar further stressed that they should adopt new and improved strategies.

The village volunteers and all the armed groups must not put their guards down.

They should be alert at all times to face any onslaught of the Kuki militants, he added.

The FOCS president further stated that the Security Advisor (SA) and the Director General of Police (DGP) should be held accountable for the Kuki militants' attacks that have killed and injured innocent civilians over the last few days.

He said India's Defence Minister should take the terror attacks on civilians seriously and crack down on Kuki militants.

On the other hand, the MLAs and Ministers who couldn't even enforce decisions they took in the Assembly should resign, he said.

The 50 MLAs barring the 10 Kuki MLAs should take a strong resolution and put pressure on the Centre to safeguard and protect Manipur's integrity, he added.

Further, all civil society organisations must also unite as one force.

FOCS will soon call a meeting of all civil society organisations in this regard, Manihar said.

He urged members and representatives of all the CSOs to attend the meeting, when scheduled, and said the CSOs which avoid the meeting would be declared as groups working against the interest of the State.

Meanwhile, the United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC) has also echoed the same demand for all civil society organisations to unite under a single banner.

In a statement, it said all the civil society organisations and the political parties must unite and form a single force to protect Manipur's integrity.

There is an urgent need for all the civil society organisations and political parties to find a common platform to work towards bringing peace, it added.

It held the Centre and the State Government responsible for the attacks on the civilians and demanded leaders in the Government to resign for their failure to protect the lives and properties of the people.

The more than 60,000 strong Central security forces in Manipur have failed to curb violence even after months of deployment.

These highly ineffective forces must be removed from the State, it added.

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