NSCN-IM Joint Council backs collective leadership and reaffirms commitment to the Framework Agreement amid internal differences.
Share
DIMAPUR — Two days after the NSCN-IM’s Eastern Flank publicly questioned the Hebron leadership over its handling of the 2015 Framework Agreement and alleged internal conspiracies and cadre killings, the NSCN-IM Joint Council on Thursday closed ranks by unanimously reaffirming its commitment to the Framework Agreement (FA), endorsing the existing collective leadership and declaring that it would neither compromise nor surrender the Naga national cause.
In a press statement issued after a Joint Council meeting in Hebron, the group stated that its members deliberated on “critical issues confronting the Naga national movement” before adopting a series of resolutions.
The Joint Council reaffirmed its “uncompromising commitment” to the Naga political cause, declaring that the NSCN/GPRN, under the collective leadership of Yaruiwo Q Tuccu, Kedalo Tongmeth Wangnao, Ato Kilonser Th Muivah and Deputy Ato Kilonser Lt. Gen. (Retd.) VS Atem, has "never surrendered, nor will it ever compromise or surrender" the Naga national cause.
Also read: NSCN (IM) imposes Presidential Rule in WTR, orders total Myanmar border lockdown
The resolutions also explicitly endorsed the present collective leadership, expressing confidence in its role in guiding the organisation and leading the Naga people's movement for self-determination.
The council further reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and defending the FA signed on August 3, 2015, describing it as the foundational basis for an honourable political settlement.
The reaffirmation comes amid reports of growing differences within the organisation after the group’s Eastern Flank on June 16 accused the Hebron leadership of deviating from the FA and challenged certain positions reportedly taken during negotiations with the government of India.
The Eastern Flank also alleged internal conspiracy behind the killing of four cadres earlier this year and questioned the organisation's direction, although it stopped short of announcing a formal split.
Calling for unity, the NSCN-IM appealed to Naga citizens, regional authorities and sympathisers of the Naga cause to stand behind its collective leadership during “this defining hour of our history.”