• The Union Home Ministry and the Government of Manipur signed a revised Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with twenty-four Kuki-Zo insurgent groups.
• The agreement comes in the wake of the ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that erupted on 3 May 2023, which claimed more than 250 lives and displaced over 60,000 residents.
• The new pact aims to stabilize the situation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the state on 13 September 2025.
• The background of the conflict lies in long-standing ethnic tensions between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei peoples.
• While the Kuki-Zo groups earlier demanded separate administration or autonomous territorial councils within Manipur, their demands after the violence shifted toward seeking a political settlement within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
• The revised SoO pact introduces several stricter provisions. The number of designated camps for Kuki-Zo insurgents has been reduced to six each for the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), down from the earlier fourteen.
• These camps must be located away from populated areas, highways, and conflict-prone zones. Cadres are now required to maintain Aadhaar-linked bank accounts for stipend payments, and identity cards will be issued by Manipur Police to ensure transparency. Only verified cadres, present during inspections, will receive the monthly stipend of ₹6,000.
• The pact also includes provisions to identify and deport foreign nationals, particularly members of the Chin-Kuki ethnic group from Myanmar.
• For monitoring and verification, a Joint Monitoring Group headed by the Principal Secretary (Home) of Manipur will oversee the process, ensuring accurate identity verification and maintaining a strict roster of cadres.
• The agreement bans recruitment of new members and prohibits any offensive action against civilians or security forces.
• One of the most significant outcomes of the pact is the assurance given by the Kuki-Zo Council to ensure the free movement of goods along National Highway-2, the critical route linking the Imphal Valley with Nagaland and Assam.
• This highway, which had been effectively closed for nearly two years, had disrupted the supply of essential goods.
• With the reopening of NH-2 and cooperation between insurgent groups and security forces, the state expects a gradual return of peace and stability.