The first peace dialogue underway today at New Delhi between the Meitei CSO leaders and Kuki-Zo representatives through Ministry of Home Affairs initiatives has been termed as “a sham to legitimize misleading narratives of Union Home Minister” by COCOMI.
In a press communique, the COCOMI said it considers the meeting as a stage-managed spectacle and a strategic ploy to validate the misleading narrative advanced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament, that the Manipur crisis is merely an “ethnic conflict” between Meetei and Kuki communities, allegedly triggered by the High Court’s direction on Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Meeteis.
The communique also stated that the current conflict is enabled and perpetuated by the Government of India through the patronage of Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist mercenary forces or groups which the government has been nurturing since 2005 under the guise of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement.
The CSO also said that they made it explicitly clear to officials of the Ministry, that the Government of India is not a neutral mediator but an active party to this conflict, and without acknowledging this fundamental truth, any so-called “peace initiative” is a hollow exercise designed solely for political optics. The Government of India has repeatedly employed symbolic gestures to create a façade of resolution, with no sincere or substantive steps to address the root causes of this crisis. And the current meeting convened hastily is nothing but to create an illusion of progress, conveniently timed to furnish talking points for the Home Minister’s parliamentary address.
For a meaningful dialogue, the CSO demands the enforcement of the rule of law across the entire state, ensuring safety and order, and neutralizing all hostile elements in the hill areas, including the SoO groups operating with impunity, including the unlawful occupation of territories and blockade of highways by Chin-Kuki militant groups. Other demands include abrogation of the SoO Agreement, ensuring unimpeded access to highways and vital roadways, in line with the Home Minister’s declaration, which failed disastrously on 8th March 2025.
It also asked to prosecute individuals and groups defying the peace overtures of both the Union Home Minister and the Governor, to restore public confidence in the President’s Rule.
