Expedite resettlement : COCOMI
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 21 2025: Reminding that just 10 days are left for the Government to fulfil its own commitment of resettling IDPs, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has urged the Chief Secretary to expedite resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs while ensuring their security.

On behalf of all IDPs across community and ethnic lines, COCOMI submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary on December 20, 2025 seeking immediate, equitable administration action on multiple issues that threaten peace, public safety, governance credibility and the welfare of displaced families in the State.

Recalling the attack of December 16, 2025 in which militants terrorised returning IDPs and residents by opening indiscriminate fire and bombarding the Torbung area, the memorandum said that the same incident vividly underscores persistent threats to civilian safety and to the resettlement process.

The recurrence of such armed aggression just as displaced families attempt to return home illustrates serious security gaps that directly jeopardise the confidence and physical safety of communities.

This demands not only reactive measures but also sustained area dominance and pro-active risk mitigation, it said.

Unrestrained public statements by certain organisational leaders (Kuki-Zo Council, Secretary Information and Publicity, Ginza Vualzong) that appear to justify or rationalise violent acts and deflect responsibility without unequivocally condemning attacks on civilians aggravate tensions and erode faith in peace efforts.

Such rhetoric, when left unchecked, risks normalising violence and undermines administrative authority and social harmony, said the memorandum signed by COCOMI Convenor Khuraijam Athouba.

It said that ambiguous public discourse on "buffer zones", including their alleged creation and territorial status, has contributed to confusion, fear, and communal distrust.

While security deployments and restricted movement arrangements may exist for law and order purposes, no clear official communication has been issued to define whether a designated "buffer zone" with policy or territorial implications formally exists.

Continued speculation and misuse of this term in public forums risk inflaming sentiments, suggesting unofficial territorial structuring, and creating misconceptions that inhibit the safe return and free movement of displaced persons, it said.

COCOMI asserted that an authoritative administrative clarification is urgently required confirming the status, purpose, geographic boundaries, and legal basis (if any) of such arrangements.

If no formal policy exists, public notification to that effect is warranted to dispel misinformation and build confidence, it said.

Since December 1, 2025, IDPs and their families have been staging a continuous relay sit-in protest at Lamboikhongnangkhong, Imphal West, pressing the Government of Manipur to honour its commitments on the resettlement and rehabilitation of all displaced families by December deadline.

While State and district level resettlement committees chaired by the Chief Secretary and Deputy Commissioners have been constituted to coordinate rehabilitation initiatives, IDPs remain anxious and desperate due to slow and uneven implementation of concrete safeguards and services, it said.

COCOMI has called upon the Chief Secretary to take urgent administrative steps to:
a.Expedite resettlement and rehabilitation of all displaced persons, ensuring equal treatment irrespective of community or ethnicity with reasonable compensation to support the process of rehabilitation in a fair and rational manner.

b.Guarantee access to essential services - food, shelter, healthcare, water, sanitation, education, and livelihood support - particularly in and around Imphal and other key resettlement areas.

c.Monitor and report progress on a public, time-bound basis, including clear milestones that demonstrate delivery of tangible outcomes.

d.Ensure that security arrangements are sufficient and visible, particularly in villages and zones where IDPs intend to return .

e.Review administrative and operational gaps that have contributed to delays, anxieties, and perceptions of uneven enforcement; and

f.Communicate transparently with stakeholders and the wider public, to dispel misinformation around sensitive terms like "buffer zone" and to reduce unnecessary apprehension.

It said that anxiety and desperation among displaced families have intensified with the December deadline approaching fast.

Without rapid, visible, and equitable action, the legitimacy of the Government and its commitments will be questioned, and community tensions will escalate further, COCOMI said.

Impartial, decisive, and transparent administrative leadership can reinforce peace, protect civilians, uphold constitutional governance, and ensure that no section of displaced persons is left behind in the path to normalisation, it added.

Speaking to media persons at Lamboikhongnangkhong today, Athouba said that COCOMI members and representatives of IDPs met the Chief Secretary last evening, and presented a detailed account of the key issues confronting IDPs.

According to Athouba, they sought the Government's intervention regarding the Kuki-Zo Council's wild propaganda that the displaced persons were violating the so-called buffer zone and it led to the bombing and raining of bullets at Torbung on December 16, 2025 .

The COCOMI team also demanded an official clarification on the so-called buffer zone.

They also urged the Chief Secretary to expedite the process of resettlement of IDPs at Dolaithabi.

There are reports of the Government asking many IDPs to go back home without any financial aid because their houses were not burnt or vandalised.

Even if the houses were not burnt or vandalised, they need renovation or repair for they were exposed to elements for over two years.

For repairing the houses, the IDPs need money.

This was placed before the Chief Secretary, Athouba said.

In order to prevent sudden terror attacks like the one seen on December 16, 2025 at Torbung, the Chief Secretary was urged to organise a security review meeting along with IDPs and CSOs including COCOMI, he said.

The Chief Secretary said that reports are being prepared on the Manipur crisis.

The reports are being prepared meticulously so as to avoid lapses or errors.

Another report is also being prepared on how many IDPs have gone back home and how many are yet to be resettled, the Chief Secretary reportedly told the joint team of COCOMI and representatives of IDPs .

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