Dimapur, Nov 20 (MExN): The Co-ordination Committee of the three tribal councils of the Rongmei, the Zeme and the Liangmai communities has asked Naga underground factions to put stop to their fighting under the pretext of ‘Naga political movement’. The committee asserted that the voice of the Naga people has now become a voice in the ‘wilderness,’ with their constant appeal against bloodshed and violence having fallen on deaf ears.
“Today, news of war crimes is floating on the streets within Nagaland. Tears of family members of victims are mounting to the sky up. Therefore the voice of the general public of the Nagas, storming to shun violence and killings has become a voice in the wilderness” the Co-ordination Committee through its Convener TA Rongmei, stated in a release. The committee had met on November 12 at Dimapur. The councils expressed the conviction that military campaigns ‘by Nagas against Nagas’ would only create more havoc in the Naga society. According to the committee the “good gesture” of the Naga people supporting the ceasefires between both the NSCNs and the GoI, “has only become a painful obstruction in the mind of the general public because of the inter-factional clashes operating in our own homeland”.
The three councils held the opinion that if the two factions could enter into a ceasefire with India – “stern enemy of the Nagas” – why not the two factions declare a ceasefire between themselves “by means of forgive and forget the past” guilt in the name of Jesus Christ as they proclaim “Nagaland for Christ”. The councils stated that Nagas want to reshape the society to uphold its history’s uniqueness of wanting to be an independent sovereign nation. The committee also acknowledged the NSCN-IM’s assertion in a local daily (November 14) condemning “cowardly and dastardly acts of terrorism, cool-blooded killings of harmless, blameless and innocent people in the name of false nationalism”. On this the committee acknowledged as true that any perpetrator of war-crimes, irrespective of factions of the Naga undergrounds, shall also face judgment one day according to the law of the land.
It reminded that the utmost need of the people today is solidarity to present a stronger case for a final solution and that the Nagas need their own consolidated efforts to the peace process. Therefore, any factional fighting among the Naga undergrounds is directly or indirectly against the peace process, the committee asserted. The councils however, on their part reminded that they would not remain silent spectators in the event of contravention. It has appealed to all Naga underground factions to restrain themselves from all sort of violence but take up positive strategy.
