New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday extended the ceasefire agreement with a break-away faction of the Naga insurgency group NSCN for another year.
The NSCN (K) Niki group is led by Niki Sumi against whom the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for allegedly killing 18 Indian Army soldiers in Manipur in 2015.
The ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (K) Niki has been in operation for a year since September 2021.
“The ceasefire agreement is in operation between government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) Niki group and it was decided to extend the pact with the group for a period of one year with effect from September 8, 2022 to September 7, 2023,” a Home Ministry statement said.
The government of India had signed a framework agreement with the major Naga group NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015 in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a permanent solution.
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The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India’s independence in 1947.
However, the talks with the NSCN-IM have been inconclusive as the group has been insisting on a separate Naga flag and constitution, a demand rejected by the central government.
Separately, the government is also holding peace parleys with splinter groups of the NSCN after entering into ceasefire agreements.
The groups which have entered into ceasefire agreements are: NSCN-NK, NSCN-R, NSCN K-Khango and NSCN (K) Niki.