Muivah sets foot in Manipur homeland after over 50 years

Guwahati: General secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), Thuingaleng Muivah, said Naga flag, constitution and sovereignty are non-negotiable pillars of Naga identity and nationhood. It was an emotional moment when Muivah (91), the Ato Kilonser (prime minister) and chief political negotiator, set foot in his homeland of Somdal in Manipur after more than 50 years. Muivah last visited Somdal in 1964.

"Nagalim that lies in the tri-junction of Burma, China and India is a territory given by almighty God, and the Naga people have defended the sovereign existence of Nagalim for the past 79 years," he said.

His address was read by senior NSCN-IM leader VS Atem. Muivah said, "I have come here to thank God and to thank my people for their faith. The cause we fight for is greater than us, older than us and it will live beyond us. The Framework Agreement, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, must remain the guiding document of the Indo-Naga peace process."


He added, "We have not surrendered the free existence and sovereignty of Nagalim." He recalled the three defining milestones that have shaped the peace process: Ceasefire Agreement of August 1, 1997, which ended decades of armed conflict; Amsterdam Joint Communique of July 11, 2002, recognising the uniqueness of Naga history; and the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, which laid the political foundation for coexistence through shared sovereignty.