Focus on dialogue : FOCS to MHA
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 27 2025: COCOMI and FOCS held separate meetings with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs led by its Advisor (North East) AK Mishra on the protracted Manipur crisis at New Delhi today.

A five-member team of FOCS led by its president BM Yaima told the MHA officials that the Kuki-Zo people still enjoy the capability to attack the valley people in spite of the Governor's call to surrender weapons.

Even though the Kuki-Zo people have suspended their aggression upon the valley people, they can launch their attack anytime, the FOCS delegates told the MHA officials and urged the Ministry to pay special attention to this fact.

Focus on dialogue : FOCS to MHA

The violence which erupted on May 3, 2023 is perceived by many well known leaders of India including the Prime Minister as atrocities committed by the majority Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities as victims.

This perception is completely wrong and misplaced, FOCS told MHA.

From the very beginning of the violence till December 2024 and early 2025, Kuki-Zo carried out a series of brutal attacks, massacres and killings of Meiteis.

Armed with advanced and sophisticated weapons, Kuki-Zo people have the capability to attack Meitei any time but they are still playing the victim card, the FOCS delegates pointed out.

They said that officials of the Government of India starting from Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been citing different and inconsistent narratives as the cause of the crisis.

This has turned out to be adding salt to the wound.

The FOCS delegates appealed to the MHA officials to see that political leaders stop peddling wrong narratives which would hurt the people's sentiment.

Even though President's Rule has already completed three months, the Government has not yet taken up any concrete action to seize/recover weapons from hill areas and ensure free movement on National Highways.

As a result, the people, particularly the valley people, have started losing faith in the Government of India.

The recent Gwaltabi incident has further aggrieved the people.

If the Government of India handles all these issues with care and sensitivity, it will go a long way in restoring normalcy in Manipur, the FOCS delegates told the MHA officials.

In response, the MHA officials pointed out the lack of cohesion among COCOMI, AMUCO and FOCS .

To this, the FOCS delegates said, "All of us are working in the interest of Manipur even though there are certain differences in our philosophies and ways of working.

All of us have a common interest" .

They urged the MHA officials to carry on the inter-community dialogue, come out with a strong, unambiguous statement that the integrity of Manipur is untouchable and deter all ideas of separatism.

Categorically stating that peace and normalcy cannot be brought about by military force, the FOCS delegates told the MHA officials to focus more on inter-community dialogue, BM Yaima said.

This is the second round of talk that the Ministry of Home Affairs has arranged with CSOs of Manipur.

The first, held on April 5, was attended by representatives of AMUCO as well as representatives of FOCS and Kuki-Zo CSOs .