Shifting the theatre of war to Geneva
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 22, 2023 -

WITH no sound of any gunfight in the past few days, there is an air of uneasy calm in the northeastern state of Manipur that has been roiled by ethnic conflict between the Meeitei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities for close to five months now.

Apart from the widespread street protests launched by the people in the valley in pursuance of their demand for unconditional release of five village defence volunteers who have been arrested by the state police, there has been a lull in the violent confrontation between the two warring communities, thus giving some relief to the violent affected people on both side of the clash divide.

However, everyone in the state including those belonging to communities, which have maintained neutrality in the ongoing conflict all along, are being cautious as no one knows when and where the violence may re-erupt again.

With the popular demand for holding dialogues between leaders of the two warring groups for finding a solution to the present crisis yet to realize, people have also started wondering whether this is the proverbial calm before the storm.

This apprehension of the people is understandable from the fact no one had ever expected that the Tribal Solidarity March organised by ATSUM in all hill districts on May 3 last in protest against the directive given by the High Court of Manipur to the Government of Manipur for sending recommendation to the Centre for recognition of the Meetei/Meetei as ST would turn violent in Churachandpur district, and led to the current crisis, which is unprecedented, both in terms of the scale of destruction caused and the sheer hatred generated among the people of the two communities who had co-existed peacefully till recently.

With sound of gunfight remaining silent for a while in Manipur, it is interesting to note that the theatre of war has been shifted from the state to the corridors of United Nations in Geneva, where the 54th session of United Nations Human Rights Council is currently underway.

Taking part in an interactive dialogue with independent experts on the "promotion of a democratic and equitable international order", Khuraijam Athouba, who is not only the vice president of International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA), but also the spokesperson of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which is spearheading the people's movement against narco-terrorism amidst the current conflict in Manipur, has drawn attention of world leaders to the emergence of a new Golden Triangle along the Indo-Myanmar borderland and called for a unified response as this development has de-stablished security in the region and affected the lives of indigenous people.

On the other hand, the effort of World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) to perpetuate the narrative of minority Christian Zo people (Kuki, Zomi, Hmar tribes) being prosecuted by the majority Hindu Meitei/Meetei people in Manipur, which is far removed from reality, has drawn flak from various quarters.

By hosting a side event on behalf of the coalition of NGOs to discuss "The crisis in Manipur and Implications of human rights in India, WEA also seems to have landed in a controversy after its Geneva office director Wissam al-Saliby, who moderated the discussion session, said in his concluding remarks that the Government of India should work towards turning the country "into more democratic, inclusive society and community".

It is such comments that are unsavory to India that have done greater harm to the cause of Kukis who have been trying hard to convince the Government of India that their demand for a separate administration or union territory is legitimate and within the Constitutional framework of the country by flying the tri-colour flags even at the so-called bunkers