The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) has earnestly asked the NSCN (IM), for the sake of lasting peace and growth in the Zeliangrong region, to withdraw its suppressive military operations from Zeliangrong regions.
The Zeliangrong people have endured prolonged exploitation, intimidation, and military domination by NSCN (IM) in Zeliangrong areas.
In a statement issued from its headquarters at Dilung, ZUF Secretary (Information & Publicity) Louis Gangmei said that despite repeated restraint in the interest of the public to maintain peace and harmony, the recent killing of a ZUF cadre in the Dolang area clearly indicates continued aggression and challenges the organisation to trigger reciprocal retaliation.
He stated that the ZUF shall not remain a mute spectator to such anti-social, anti-national, and criminal activities, adding that such continuous schemes of attack are nothing but attempts to disturb the credible integrity and progress of the Zeliangrong people and the ongoing Zeliangrong political talks with the Government of India.
The statement said that ZUF does not oppose the Naga national movement; rather, it seeks to assert and secure a Zeliangrong homeland. This legitimate objective has been misconstrued, particularly by NSCN (IM), leading to confrontation between the two groups. The Zeliangrong people, it reiterated, have endured prolonged exploitation, intimidation, and military domination by NSCN (IM) in Zeliangrong areas.
The ZUF also questioned why the Zeliangrong community has been singled out by NSCN (IM) as a threat to Naga national interest. This, it said, raises a serious question: has their agenda moved beyond genuine national interest and shifted toward controlling and preventing a particular community from claiming and exercising its legitimate right to secure a long-pending homeland?
