MIYC suspects centre's commitment to resolve Manipur conflict
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 26 2024: Sunday, September 1, marked a dark chapter in India's history as Kuki terrorists launched a series of devastating drone bombings targeting civilians and properties in the northeastern state of Manipur.

The attacks, which took place on a day traditionally associated with peace and reflection, Sunday, have left the nation in shock, said Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) while condemning and terming the attacks as acts of terrorism exposing the vulnerability of India's national defence system as well as the government's failure to protect its citizens.

In a statement, MIYC said that the drone bombings targeted Meetei civilian populations, inflicting significant casualties, injuries, and damage to properties.

It emphasised that these deliberate assaults on innocent lives highlighted not only a breakdown in law and order but also the government's inability to address the growing conflict as the escalation in violence, coupled with the deliberate targeting of homes, schools, and places of worship, has pushed the state to the brink of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis.

MIYC asserted that these drone attacks, as well as other forms of violence in Manipur, constitute blatant violations of international humanitarian law, specifically the Geneva Conventions of 1949, centred on protecting civilians and non-combatants during times of war.

While asserting that the Kuki terrorists' actions amount to war crimes and genocidal under international laws, MIYC referred to the Genocide Convention of 1948 that defines genocide as actions committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

As such the systematic violence and targeted killings of the Meetei community, combined with destruction of cultural heritage sites, imply a genocidal campaign by Kuki armed groups, the statement said.

Furthermore, MIYC called for attention to the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) principle and urged the international community to take immediate action.

It emphasised that independent investigations by global bodies such as the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect are essential to uncover the facts and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

As a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, India is bound by international law to investigate and prosecute those guilty of war crimes, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

Expressing concern over indifferent attitude of the government of India, the MIYC lamented that rather than mobilising the armed forces to neutralise the threat posed by Kuki terrorists, committees were formed to study the nature of drone bombings.

MIYC criticised such approach, pointing out the absurdity of turning to experts for analysis in the face of an ongoing terrorist threat, comparing it to studying the fallout of a hypothetical nuclear attack rather than preventing it.

This perceived inaction by the Central government has given rise to disturbing questions, MIYC said and questioned why the Central armed forces have not been deployed in greater numbers to secure the state and protect its citizens and further alleged that there could be external involvement or even complicity within the government, hinting at a nexus between the Government of India and Kuki terrorist groups.

MIYC suspected that certain stakeholders may have vested interests in prolonging the conflict, potentially benefiting politically or strategically from the chaos.

MIYC also voiced frustration over the prolonged silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is yet to make a decisive statement bn the violence in Manipur, leading to many believing that the ongoing conflict may be part of a broader geopolitical strategy involving the Bangladesh-Burma-China-India-Manipur borderlands.

MIYC stressed that the government's responsibility lies in safeguarding the lives and rights of all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity, and urged both the state and Central governments to act immediately.

MIYC called for peace, dialogue, and mutual coexistence while demanding an end to the violence through a meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving the underlying issues that have fuelled the conflict for over 16 months.

Stating that the people of Manipur deserve protection, peace, and security, MIYC called on India and the international community to stand in solidarity with people of Manipur, ensuring their right to a future free from fear, violence, and terror.

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