The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), along with like-minded Naga civil society organisations, has warned of launching a massive movement across Manipur from October 31 if the state government fails to resolve the ongoing conflict by October 30.
The announcement was made during a sit-in protest organised by COCOMI, the Foothills Naga Coordinating Committee (FNCC) and the Naga Humanitarian Aid Committee Manipur (NHACM) at Lamphel on Thursday.
Addressing the media, COCOMI convenor YK Dhiren held the state government responsible for failing to ensure civilian safety, particularly following the killing of three Meitei woodcutters in an attack at Khongban Sunurok on October 19. He demanded that the government take responsibility for the killings, alleging that the victims had ventured into the area after relying on repeated assurances that peace was gradually returning to Manipur.
Dhiren accused the government of making misleading claims about the restoration of peace, particularly during visits to hill districts, and alleged that such assurances had encouraged civilians to enter areas that remained unsafe, exposing them to potential danger.
Describing the ongoing conflict as a proxy war allegedly orchestrated by the Indian government through Kuki militants, he said COCOMI and its like-minded organisations would launch a larger movement across both hill and valley districts from October 31 if their demands remained unmet.
NHACM co-convenor Amana Thaimai said indigenous communities had endured more than three years of conflict, which, she alleged, had continued to spread rather than subside. She said people were suffering in their own land and urged the state government to take concrete measures to resolve the crisis within the October 30 deadline.
Thaimai warned that the organisations would intensify their movement from October 31 if the government failed to act within the stipulated period.
