Centre urged not to renew SoO with Kuki armed groups
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 07 2025: The Meitei Alliance has written an open letter to union home minister Amit Shah, strongly urging the Government of India not to renew the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with Kuki armed groups, citing continued violations of the pact and grave security implications for Manipur and the entire Northeastern region.

In an open letter addressed to the union home minister, the alliance expressed "grave concern over the continued inaction" by the Centre in addressing the serious threats posed by Kuki armed groups operating under the SoO framework.

These groups have consistently violated the agreement's ground rules and used it as a shield to commit acts of terror with impunity, the Alliance said.

The open letter refers to the recent seizure of more than 50,000 combat uniforms linked to the Kuki National Front (KNF) in Bangladesh as alarming.

The Alliance warned that the scale of the recovery points to "potential plans that can destabilise the Northeastern region", possibly involving foreign actors.

It described the development as a "significant security threat to India".

The SoO agreement, signed in 2008, was originally intended to facilitate peace.

However, the Alliance alleged that instead of honouring its terms, Kuki armed groups have used the arrangement to further vested interests by indulging in violence, killings, extortion, kidnappings, and other unlawful activities.

The Alliance stated that such actions were taking place even under the watch of central security forces.

The letter outlined a series of violations attributed to the Kuki groups, including threats to Manipur's territorial integrity, recruitment of fresh cadres, acquisition of additional arms, construction of memorials, public parades in uniform, and attempts to run a parallel "sovereign government".

The groups were also accused of disrupting state functions, blocking roads, obstructing essential services, and supporting other militant outfits within Manipur and Myanmar.

Since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023, the Meitei Alliance said, these armed groups have acted as "primary instigators and escalators" of unrest.

The Alliance blamed the SoO framework for enabling the spread of armed ethnic conflict and contributing to what it called a broader agenda that includes illegal immigration, deforestation, demographic imbalance, and the rise of settler colonies.

The Alliance further accused Kuki armed groups of aiding in illicit drug trafficking, fuelling drug addiction in Manipur and beyond, and inviting foreign cadres and funds to import warlike arms and training into India.

These activities pose a "threat to internal security and geo-strategic interests" of the country, it added.

Referring to earlier government actions, the Meitei Alliance recalled that the government of Manipur had already abrogated the SoO with two Kuki armed groups in March 2023.It also noted that in January 2024, the state government had formally recommended that the Centre refrain from extending the agreement further.

The letter stated, "To renew the agreement would be to reward impunity, legitimise armed violence, and further destabilise Manipur and the Northeastern region".

It urged the Union government to uphold the Constitution, protect national security, and formally end what it called a "failed framework".

Reiterating a previous memorandum submitted to the union home minister on February 20, 2024, the Meitei Alliance appealed for decisive action to hold the armed groups accountable for their role in destabilising Manipur.

"The people of Manipur have suffered enough", the open letter concluded.

"It is time to take a stand for justice, peace, and the rule of law" .

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