A breakaway faction of the Naga insurgent outfit NSCN-Khaplang Wednesday declared a ceasefire and indicated that it would rejoin peace talks with the government.
This splinter group is led by the militant Niki Sumi, who said in a statement that the outfit has resolved to strengthen and support the peace process at this crucial juncture.
The group was “aware of the sincere and genuine efforts made by the GoI in the recent past” to find a lasting solution to the Naga issue “with the involvement of all the stakeholders”.
Ceasefire with immediate effect “by revoking the earlier decision of unilateral abrogation of the ceasefire in 2015. Back then, the outfit was led by its founder, SS Khaplang, who died in 2017.
After its founder’s death, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang named Khango Konyak as the new head. In 2018, however, the outfit split when he was reportedly “impeached”. Khaplang’s nephew, Yung Aung, took over the group, which is based in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the first breakaway faction of the NSCN-K, led by Konyak, joined peace talks in early 2019.
China is assisting rebel groups that have stepped up attacks on its border with Myanmar in recent months, opening another front in the conflict between two nations already engaged in a deadly standoff in the Himalayas.
