Imphal: The United Naga Council (UNC) has decided to temporarily suspend its economic blockade along key highways in Manipur after 131 days, following a three-hour tripartite meeting with representatives of the Centre and the Manipur government in Guwahati on Saturday.

The decision came after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Manipur government assured the UNC that its major demands would be taken up through formal follow-up discussions.

The meeting was held at the BSF Frontier Headquarters Officers’ Mess at Garbhanga and was attended by senior officials from the MHA and Manipur Home Department. A delegation of more than 10 Naga representatives led by the UNC also participated in the discussions.

The UNC had imposed the blockade while seeking action on several issues concerning Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur.

Among its key demands were the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, action against those allegedly responsible for the abduction and killing of Liangmai Naga civilians, and a ban on militant organisations accused of attacks on civilians in Naga areas.

The Naga body had also demanded the removal of officials whom it alleged had failed to maintain security and neutrality in sensitive districts.

Following the assurances given during Saturday’s meeting, the UNC agreed to suspend the blockade temporarily. The decision is expected to facilitate the movement of essential commodities and commercial vehicles along the affected routes.

The blockade had particularly disrupted traffic on National Highway-2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur, and National Highway-37, linking Imphal with Jiribam. The prolonged disruption had affected the supply chain and left a large number of goods-laden trucks stranded along the highways.

The Naga delegation at the meeting included representatives of the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women’s Union (NWU), Liangmai Naga Council (LNC), Rongmei Naga Council (RNC), Joint Tribe Council-Manipur (JTC-M) and Naga Peoples’ Organisation (NPO).

The temporary suspension provides some relief to the state’s already strained highway network. However, the continuation of the decision will depend on the outcome of subsequent discussions and the implementation of assurances given by the Centre and the Manipur government.