SoO camps in our land may trigger irreversible unrest : FNCC Atrocities of SoO cadres highlighted to PM

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 21 : The persistent presence of SoO Kuki militants' camps in Naga ancestral land may trigger an "irreversible communal unrest", one that may "surpass" the tragic turmoil witnessed on May 3, 2023, the Foothill Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) has cautioned the Government.
The committee issued this caution in a memorandum it submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla today.
In the memorandum, the FNCC demanded the Government of India to immediately dismantle all SoO camps in Naga ancestral land, and abrogate the "flawed" Suspension of Operation agreement that is "threatening peace and stability in Manipur."
Highlighting a number of crimes and instances of violations of the SoO agreement by Kuki militant groups, the FNCC placed five demands before the Prime Minister for the Government of India to take "firm, immediate, and irreversible action."
The demands include immediate dismantling of all SoO camps situated in or near Naga-inhabited areas; total and permanent abrogation of the SoO agreements with KNO, UPF, and all Kuki militant groups; immediate cessation of the construction of "German" and "Tiger" roads that "glorify criminal elements and violate Naga territorial rights."
The FNCC also demanded the Government of India to constitute a high-level inquiry commission to investigate all violations under the SoO umbrella, followed by a time-bound legal prosecution of the guilty, without exception.
"Any attempt to create a Separate Administration for Kukis should not touch an inch of Naga ancestral territories in order to prevent further bloodshed in the region," it cautioned.
The SoO agreement and the persistence of the Kuki militants' camps in Naga areas represent a direct threat to communal harmony, Constitutional order, and National security, it said.
No SoO camps existing or proposed shall be allowed within Naga-inhabited areas without "our prior knowledge, and informed consent". This includes, but is not limited to, the regions of Kharam Vaiphei and Kotlen areas, which are historically, culturally, and rightfully part of the Naga ancestral territories, said the FNCC in the memorandum.
Any attempt to forcibly impose SoO Kuki militants' camps in Naga areas will be treated as an act of aggression; provocative in nature, and is likely to spark "irreversible communal unrest" that may "surpass" the tragic turmoil witnessed on May 3, 2023, said the FNCC.
The SoO agreement has utterly failed in delivering its intended objectives. Rather than fostering peace, the agreement has emboldened armed criminality, it asserted.
The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF); primary signatories have consistently and brazenly violated the terms of the agreement.
Violence, extortion, land encroachment, and terrorising of civilians have become rampant and institutionalized under the agreement, and the SoO camps have become operational bases for Kuki militants' expansion, extortion, and community intimidation, FNCC said.
Despite repeated and well-documented violations, the agreement is renewed annually without accountability, raising grave questions about its intent and integrity, said the FNCC highlighting a number of instances where the SoO agreement was  violated by the Kuki militant groups-- On March 10, 2023, armed Kuki militant cadres abducted three civilians for ransom near Mapou village.
March 12, 2023: Burning of a JCB excavator and a scooty in Leilon village.
June 18, 2023: A Naga home was torched in Leimakhong by armed Kuki cadres.
August 11, 2023: Armed Kuki militant groups attacked Naga youths in Kangpokpi
September 25, 2023: Kuki militants assaulted farmers on IT Road for resisting extortion
April 2024 : A JCB excavator was hijacked from a Chothe Naga in Kanan Kuki village by Kuki armed militant groups
May 2, 2024: Extortion in Tumnoupokpi and Yaikongpou by armed Kuki cadres
July 11, 2024: Goods belonging to Senapati Nagas were seized at Gamgiphai by armed Kuki militant groups
July 23, 2024: A Naga woman was assaulted in Tumnoupokpi village by Kuki militants
November 11, 2024 : Two Tangkhul farmers were injured in firing by Kuki militants
December 22, 2024: Student leaders of Senapati were assaulted by armed Kuki militant cadres
January 7, 2025 : A Naga woman was assaulted by Kuki militant cadres at K Lungwiram
April 3, 2025: Sixteen homes were burned down in Kazanga village by Kuki militant groups
April 5, 2025 : Armed Kuki militant cadres abducted and brutally assaulted Konsakhul villagers including the village chief, chairman and a Pastor.
June 26, 2025: Two passengers were attacked en route to Ukhrul.
In addition to the recent crimes mentioned earlier, Kuki militants  have encroached on the land at Leikhampokpi (Nsak) and constructed bunkers and other makeshift structures, said the FNCC.
Further, there is ongoing-intermittent firing by armed Kuki militant groups in civilian areas causing fear. There have been unprovoked attacks on Naga villages including Longsai, Kaiphundeijang, Nungang, Thangbuk, Leimanei, Tingpui, Satang Naga by Kuki militant groups, it said.
There is also rampant destruction of forest and cultivation of poppy plantations in the ancestral land of Makhan by Kuki militant groups, it added.
"These atrocities are not random; they are part of a well-orchestrated strategy of territorial aggression, ethnic domination, and demographic manipulation," the FNCC asserted.
"The SoO regime has devolved into a sanctuary for armed criminals; a cover for illegal taxation and extortion, and a threat to India's internal security and inter-community equilibrium. The inaction of State agencies and continued appeasement of these groups is not merely disappointing, it is dangerous and inexcusable. It is eroding public trust in democratic governance, emboldening lawlessness, and inviting chaos," the FNCC said, urging the Prime Minister to take actions on its demands.
"The Naga people have upheld the values of peace, coexistence, and justice often in the face of violent provocation and systemic neglect. But peace cannot and will not be maintained at the cost of our dignity, land, and safety. This is not merely a call for policy change, it is a call for justice, for the restoration of Constitutional order, and for the protection of a people who have suffered long enough in silence," it asserted.