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Rediff.com  » News » Nagaland: Church launches effort to broker peace

Nagaland: Church launches effort to broker peace

By K Anurag in Guwahati
October 03, 2006 15:54 IST
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Alarmed at the growing conflicts between different Naga armed groups, the Nagaland Baptist Church Committee has launched an initiative for 'reconciliation of Naga groups' in the interest of peace in the conflict-ridden state.

A source in the NBCC stated that church leaders launched a 13-point action plan to resolve growing conflicts between Naga groups.

The NBCC has published a step-by-step guide called 'Healing and Reconciliation', which they encourage people to use as a platform to hear what others have to say and also express themselves freely.

The church has taken the initiative and hopes that the tribal leaders work out a reconciliation process.

Two main Naga insurgent groups - National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang - have been engaged on and off in bloody conflict, though both are in truce with the government of India.

Both groups have been attempting to find a solution to the insurgency problem in the state, which has remained unresolved for over 50 years now.

Isak Shishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah are, respectively, the chairman and general secretary of the NSCN-IM. Both of them are on self-imposed exile, even though they have been leading the negotiation with the government of India.

The central government subsequently entered into truce with another faction, the NSCN-K. A Burmese Naga called S S Khaplang who is based in Myanmar leads the NSCN-K. The central government, however, is yet to start negotiation with the group.

Both the outfits have sharp differences in their goals and their leaders are bitter enemies, which has led to frequent conflicts between them.

The Church leaders now propose to organise a series of round-table talks among senior leaders of Naga factions to iron out their differences and agree to stem conflicts.

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K Anurag in Guwahati