CSO team Delhi-bound for third round of talks
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 29 2025: A joint delegation of three major civil society organisations for New Delhi on Sunday for the third round of talks with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday in an effort to find a resolution to the ethnic conflict gripping the state since May 2023.The 19-member team comprises representatives from the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO), and Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) .

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday in New Delhi.

The first round of talks was held on April 5, where representatives of both the Meetei and Kuki-Zo communities met MHA officials separately.

AMUCO and FOCS represented the Meetei side, while Kuki-Zo groups such as Kuki-Zo Council, Kuki Inpi Manipur, Zomi Council, United Zou Organisation, and Hmar Inpi attended from the other side.

The second round was held on May 27 with only COCOMI and FOCS participating.

AMUCO did not attend that round, and the meeting ended without any breakthrough.

Meanwhile, The New Indian Express quoted COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba as saying that the upcoming meeting would be a follow-up to earlier rounds but with a unified representation.

He said that the delegation is preparing for a possible meeting with union home minister Amit Shah, who is expected to take final decisions on the matters discussed.

Athouba said that the delegation will raise concerns including the security of farmers working in the peripheral areas of Imphal Valley, reopening of national highways, and rehabilitation of displaced people.

Farmers cultivating land along the valley's borders have frequently faced violence during the ongoing conflict.

In the latest incident last week, a Meetei farmer was shot and injured by suspected Kuki militants in Phubala area of Bishnupur district.

In a subsequent security operation, an elderly Kuki woman was killed in crosslire between security forces and the fleeing Kuki militants in Churachandpur district.

The ethnic violence has effectively partitioned the state, with Meetei and Kuki communities still unable to access each other's areas more than two years after the initial outbreak on May 3, 2023 .

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