GNF public appeal to SAPO & APO and Mao Council
KOHIMA, MARCH 11 (MExN): The Global Naga Forum (GNF) on Monday expressed concern by the alarming turn of events over the disputed Kezoltsa area between the Southern Angami and the Mao communities.
“It is not our place, however, to pass judgment on the relative merits of the case, since it has been under discussion and negotiation between the parties for a long time, including input from leaders and elders of some of the most democratic and responsible public organizations in Naga society today,” the GNF said in a press statement.
The most it can do at this time, the GNF maintained, is to appeal to all concerned to exercise extraordinary caution and to speak and act with compassion for one another. It reminded that when the times are hard, as they are now, it is easy to forget that all Nagas belong in a shared ancestral homeland.
“We believe that this unalterable fact comes with a God-given responsibility for all of us to take care of our lands and one another, together, for the common good. But we cannot do that without mutual empathy and a living commitment to peaceful coexistence especially during times of conflict like we’re in now,” it stressed.
“Adversaries of Naga peoplehood have existed for many decades and are still busy working overtime to further separate and keep us apart wherever Nagas live – from India to Myanmar. None of us needs reminding, for instance, that it was not the Angamis and the Maos who decided to live in two separate Indian state administrations,” the GNF went on to state.
Towards this, it stated that animosity and disputes between Naga tribes, like the one going on within the Tenyimi family, “hurt us deeply and set us back in our quest for unity and peace, and the wellbeing of the Nagas as a whole.”
One silver lining in the dark sky of our adversaries’ relentless drive against us has been our ability to retain much of our lands, despite being separated by state and international borders, the GNF maintained while pointing out that the Dzükou valley and the surrounding area, in Tenyimi territory under the jurisdiction of Angami and Mao tribes, is one of the precious gifts of nature.
“It has deservedly become a nature-lovers’ tourist spot. It would be a huge pity if it became a disputed area between the two tribes, like Kezoltsa is now,” it added.
For these and other reasons, the GNF appealed to the Southern Angami Public Organization to withdraw the ‘Quit Notice’ and the Mao Council to ensure withdrawal of the security forces at the earliest from the disputed area.
“We request both organizations to adopt new and creative strategies to resolve the dispute – as difficult as it must be, with even greater patience and mutual caring for the common good,” it stated.
The GNF also invited Nagas everywhere to heed the call for peace and unity, reflecting on the shared history and dreams that bind us as one people while stating, “It is only through understanding, dialogue, and the willingness to see beyond the immediate conflicts that we can hope to forge a path toward lasting reconciliation and unity.”
