Manipur: First tripartite talks between Meitei, Kuki-Zo, MHA in Delhi tomorrow

IANS April 4, 2025 117 views

A critical tripartite meeting is set to take place in Delhi between Meitei and Kuki-Zo community leaders, mediated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This unprecedented dialogue follows 23 months of devastating ethnic violence that has claimed over 250 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people. The meeting aims to address complex territorial, administrative, and security demands from both communities. Hopes are high that this initial conversation could be a first step towards de-escalating the long-standing tensions in Manipur.

"We hope this meeting will bring a path to peace" - Unnamed Community Leader
Imphal, April 4: In a significant development, leading organisations of Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities will hold a tripartite meeting with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Saturday, officials and leaders said here on Friday.

Key Points

1

First high-level meeting addressing Manipur ethnic violence

2

MHA advisor A.K. Mishra facilitating dialogue between communities

3

Over 250 killed in ongoing ethnic tensions

4

Separate administration demands at forefront of discussions

Saturday's meeting will be the first such tripartite meeting after ethnic riots broke out 23 months ago between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities over the tribal status demand of the Meiteis.

Though Manipur government officials confirmed Saturday's first meeting in the national Capital, they refused to disclose the agenda of the tripartite meet.

Leaders of the Kuki and Meitei communities separately said that MHA advisor for the northeast region, A.K. Mishra, invited the leaders of the organisations of both the communities.

Mishra last month held separate meetings with various organisations of the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo in Manipur.

Last year also the MHA tried to hold a tripartite meeting with the leaders of the two communities but the tribal organisations (Kuki-Zo) refused to meet the Meitei leaders.

Leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a conglomerate of 13 organisations of the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, held a meeting with senior officials of the MHA in New Delhi on January 17 and discussed their demands and the prevailing situation in the northeastern state.

The four-member delegation of the KZC, led by its Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet, met A.K. Mishra and Joint Director, MHA, Rajesh Kamble.

Both the MHA officials and the KZC leaders did not share the details of the discussions with the media.

The KZC and 10 tribal MLAs have been demanding a separate administration equivalent to a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal-dominated areas.

The Meitei organisations have been demanding steps against militants, the drug menace, infiltrators from Myanmar and introduction of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Over 250 people have been killed and over 1,500 people injured in the ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo people since May 3, 2023.

More than 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes and villages and are now staying in relief camps in different districts for the past 23 months.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Finally some progress! Hope this meeting leads to concrete steps towards peace. The people of Manipur have suffered enough 🙏
P
Priya M.
While I appreciate the effort, I'm skeptical about immediate results. The issues are deep-rooted and complex. The article could have provided more historical context.
S
Sanjay T.
The fact that they're meeting at all after 23 months is significant. Baby steps matter in such sensitive situations. Fingers crossed for positive outcomes!
A
Anita L.
My heart breaks for the displaced families mentioned in the article. 60,000 people is an enormous number. Hope this meeting addresses their immediate needs too.
K
Kiran P.
The article mentions both sides' demands clearly. The separate administration demand vs NRC implementation shows how complex this conflict is. Needs careful handling.
M
Michael Z.
I appreciate that the reporter included the failed attempt at talks last year. Shows this isn't the first effort. Hope third time's the charm! 🤞

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Manipur Conflict Ethnic Violence Meitei Kuki-Zo Ministry of Home Affairs A.K. Mishra Northeast India
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