IMPHAL: The Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement between the centre and the Kuki rebel groups in Manipur, which was set to expire on February 28 this year, has been extended for one more year.
The Centre and the Manipur government have extended the tripartite SoO agreement with Kuki militants under two groups, namely United People’s Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) by another year, official sources said on Thursday.
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Over 25 Kuki militant groups under two apex bodies – KNO and UPF are signatories of the SoO.
The ceasefire pact, which was first signed in 2008, has been extended periodically.
The extension was agreed upon in a meeting of all the parties on February 17 and it will be effective from March 1, 2023, the sources said.
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According to an official notification, the extension agreement was signed by Ministry of Home Affairs (NE) additional secretary Piyush Goyal and Government of Manipur representative (resident commissioner) Devesh Deval for the government and Ketheos Zomi and Joshua Thadou for UPF, and Dr. Seilen Haokip for the KNO.
The Kuki militant groups, which had earlier demanded a separate Kuki state within Manipur, had recently sought a (Kuki) territorial council, and political dialogue on this agenda has already started.
Nearly, 17 outfits are under the KNO, while 8 are under UPF, and cadres of these outfits are currently staying at designated camps set up by the government.
Notably, the previous agreement was signed on March 7, 2022, and will remain valid till February 28, 2023.