Overview

• Four Manipur civil society bodies representing Meitei, Thadou and Naga communities petitioned Home Minister Amit Shah on July 3 to abrogate the Suspension of Operations agreements with Kuki militant groups.
• They cite SoO-protected militants’ role in the May 3, 2023 violence in Churachandpur and note Manipur Police and NIA confirmations of further ground-rule breaches.
• Civil groups fault the Joint Monitoring Group for including KNO and UPF signatories, which they say creates a conflict of interest and blocks enforcement of violations.
• They note the Manipur government withdrew from key SoO accords in March 2023 and formally opposed their renewal in January 2024.
• The organisations urge appointment of an independent arbitrator, restoration of an elected state government’s oversight and prosecution of militants who violate SoO terms.