Manipur Naga bodies submit ultimatum to union Home minister on Free Movement Regime, border fencing issues

DIMAPUR — Four apex Naga organisations in Manipur — the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women’s Union (NWU), and Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights-South (NPMHR-S) — have jointly submitted a 20-day ultimatum to the Union Home Minister through the Governor of Manipur.

The ultimatum expressed deep concern and resentment over the abrogation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border and the ongoing border fencing works, which the groups allege are being carried out without consulting the indigenous Naga communities. They maintained that such actions violate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly Articles 8, 26, and 36, to which India is a signatory.

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The Naga organisations pointed out that they have issued numerous memoranda and held multiple forms of protest, including picketing government offices, mass rallies, and demonstrations across Naga-inhabited areas since January 2024.

Reiterating their demand for immediate revocation of the order related to the abrogation of the FMR, they also called for an immediate halt to all ongoing border fencing and demarcation activities in Naga ancestral lands. Further, they urged the Government of India to initiate meaningful, time-bound dialogue with Naga civil societies and other affected stakeholders to resolve the matter.

They warned that if these demands are not addressed within the stipulated 20-day period, they would be compelled to resume their protest movement in stronger measure across all Naga-inhabited hill districts.