Guwahati: The NSCN-Yung Aung has strongly condemned the ‘unauthorized extraction of coal and crude oil within Naga territories’ spanning Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The group vowed to undertake “appropriate military action” to safeguard the interests of the Tangsa Naga people in the area.
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The NSCN-Yung Aung specifically denounced what it described as forceful eviction attempts by Coal India Limited (CIL) targeting Naga villagers and other tribal communities in the Ledo area in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
The group stated that significant illegal coal extraction and dumping have occurred along the Assam-Arunachal border, particularly within the Tinsukia district of Assam and the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, despite objections raised by the Tangsa Naga community.
According to the NSCN-Yung Aung, “For many decades, the coal and crude oil reserves in this area have been relentlessly exploited by Coal India and its subsidiaries, along with other companies such as ONGC and Geo Enpro Petroleum Limited. This exploitation is causing irreversible environmental damage to the sacred lands of indigenous Nagas and other tribal communities.”
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The insurgent group further asserted that these “rampant and unethical mining practices are closely linked to land grabs and the forced displacement of indigenous peoples, who rely on their land and forests for survival,” characterizing this as a “blatant violation of fundamental human rights laws and values.”
The Naga outfit also alleged that the state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, along with local authorities, have employed various tactics to suppress the voices of ethnic communities who have historically resided on their ancestral lands in order to maintain profits from these activities.
“This is a direct policy aimed at threatening the identity, culture, and traditional way of life of indigenous people, effectively reducing them to refugee status in their homeland,” the NSCN-Yung Aung declared.
Emphasizing the shared Naga heritage of the Tangsa people, the group asserted that their security and well-being are non-negotiable.
“For too long, the voices of our people have been stifled through authoritarian tactics and systematic oppression. The NSCN/GPRN will no longer remain passive in the face of the injustices inflicted upon our people by the coal and oil mafias. We are committed to protecting the interests of our people and we will respond to their needs with appropriate military action,” the NSCN-Yung Aung stated.