FNCC stir essential to check Kuki entrenchment: MIYC
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 29 2025: The Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) has issued a strong statement of support for the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) in its ongoing indefinite bandh against the "unauthorised construction of the Tiger (German) Road through indigenous Naga foothill territories" .

The bandh, declared on July 18, 2025, is a protest against what FNCC terms a violation of indigenous land rights and a lack of democratic consultation.

The road, which links Churachandpur to Kangpokpi, is viewed by many as a symbolic and strategic encroachment-associated with Kuki militant leaders and widely perceived as an ethnic provocation, according to a press release from MIYC.

The FNCC has raised concerns over the presence of camps belonging to Kuki armed groups under Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements.

These are allegedly operating in or near Naga-inhabited areas and are seen as threatening the territorial integrity of local communities.

In response, FNCC has enforced roadblocks at several strategic locations including Makhan, Tongjei Maril (Old Cachar Road), Dolang Chiru, Tupul-Noney Junction, and Longsai-Khoupum Road, the MIYC release stated.

MIYC cited violations of the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), noting that these lands predate colonial-era demarcations.

It stressed that any development project must involve equitable consultation with the indigenous population.

Historical grievances also surfaced in the statement, referencing violent Kuki-Naga clashes from 1992-1998 that left over 1,000 dead and displaced more than 50,000 .

The naming and routing of the Tiger/German Road, MIYC said, appears to follow a broader strategy to entrench Kuki presence in traditional Naga territory.

The MIYC also expressed alarm at what it called "proxy militarisation" of the region, warning that the road could become a strategic corridor for renewed conflict rather than a civilian lifeline.

Furthermore, MIYC criticised what it described as manufactured insecurity by Kuki-Zo leaders, alleging it was being used to justify land encroachment while barring Meeteis and Nagas from national highway access.

Referring to the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, MIYC condemned the widespread destruction, displacement, and targeted killings.

The violence resulted in 258 deaths, the displacement of over 60,000 individuals, and signibcant damage to homes and religious institutions, the release said.

The organisation reiterated that FNCC's actions should not be misinterpreted as separatist, but rather as a legitimate exercise in democratic and human rights defence.

It called for immediate government intervention, urging authorities to halt unauthorised infrastructure, dismantle SoO camps from sensitive areas, and launch transparent investigations into narcotics-linked criminal networks threatening local stability.

MIYC also questioned the legitimacy of Manipur's 1949 merger with India, calling it an annexation that violated both the will of the people and international norms.

It urged "the Indian state and international community to uphold constitutional protections, international human rights standards, and the UN principle of Indigenous self-determination.

Anything less would reinforce ongoing occupation, demographic engineering, and colonial aggression" .

"We stand firmly with the FNCC .

We urge both central and state governments to act decisively - before the situation deteriorates further.

Let this moment become an opportunity to redress historic wrongs and secure a future of peaceful coexistence, tribal dignity, and respect for ancestral land," it concluded.

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