COCOMI has demanded the termination of the SoO pact with KNA and KLA, legal action against the groups and inspections of all designated camps after the Sinai Camp raid.
Imphal, Oct. 25: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has demanded the immediate and unconditional termination of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Kuki National Army (KNA) and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), alleging that a recent security raid at a designated camp in Kangpokpi district exposed serious violations of the pact’s ground rules.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Phijam Shyamchand, Convenor of COCOMI’s Information and Public Relations Sub-Committee, called on the Government of India and the Manipur government to terminate the agreement, declare the signatory armed groups illegal and conduct inspections and headcounts at all designated camps across the state.
COCOMI warned that continued hostilities without decisive action against the armed groups would fuel public perceptions that the Centre was pursuing a “proxy war” against Manipur’s indigenous communities. These are allegations made by the organisation and have not been independently established by the information provided.
Raid at Shamushang (Sinai) Camp
The demand follows a security operation at the SoO-designated Shamushang Camp, also known as Sinai Camp, located about 60 km east of the Kangpokpi district headquarters.
The operation came after the October 19 killing of three Meetei woodcutters who, according to the statement, were ambushed by armed Kuki militants while collecting firewood near peripheral areas. Several other people were reportedly critically injured in the attack.
Combined security forces subsequently raided the camp to apprehend those suspected of involvement in the killings.
According to COCOMI, official roster records listed 159 cadres at the camp: 66 belonging to the KNA and 93 to the KLA under the KNO. However, security personnel reportedly found only one registered cadre at the facility. The other 17 people present were identified as unauthorised non-cadres, while sophisticated automatic firearms and other war-like stores were recovered.
COCOMI said the reported discrepancy between the registered strength and the people found at the camp indicated a serious breach of the SoO ground rules. The statement also questioned the effectiveness of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG), which oversees compliance with the agreement.
COCOMI seeks camp inspections and legal action
The committee has placed three principal demands before the state and central governments.
First, it wants the SoO agreement with the KNA and KLA under the KNO formally terminated without conditions. Second, it has called for the two armed groups to be declared illegal or outlawed within a specified timeframe. Third, it wants cordon-and-search operations and headcount audits conducted at every designated camp in Manipur.
COCOMI said scrutiny should not be limited to Sinai Camp, arguing that a state-wide review was necessary to establish whether other designated facilities were complying with the agreement.
The committee also questioned the implementation of assurances reportedly given when the Centre extended the SoO framework in September amid public opposition. According to COCOMI, authorities had committed to reducing the 14 designated camps to seven and relocating them away from indigenous settlements, national highways and critical infrastructure.
The organisation alleged that the situation uncovered at Sinai Camp showed that these commitments had not been fulfilled.
COCOMI alleges Rs 280 crore in payments over 18 years
The statement further claimed that the Government of India had spent approximately Rs 15 crore annually over 18 years on stipends and administrative expenses for the armed groups, amounting to around Rs 280 crore.
COCOMI alleged that the cadres had operated as a “proxy army” in the hill areas and accused them of carrying out attacks against Meetei and Naga villagers since May 2023. It also criticised the role of central security forces, alleging that they had remained passive during the violence.
The claims regarding government expenditure, armed-group activities and the conduct of security forces were presented by COCOMI and were not independently verified in the supplied statement.
Camp-wise roster lists 2,181 cadres
To support its demand for wider scrutiny, COCOMI released a consolidated camp-wise roster showing the designated strength of armed groups under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United Peoples’ Front (UPF), based on figures as of January 2024.
The roster lists 1,122 cadres across seven KNO camps and 1,059 cadres across seven UPF camps, giving a combined total of 2,181 cadres across 14 designated camps.
The seven KNO camps listed are Mongbung Camp (Salem), N. Phaisat Camp (Gilgal), Chongkhojou Camp (Horeb), Nalon Camp (Nabil), Shamushang Camp (Sinai), T. Gamnom Camp and Chelep Camp (Harmon).
The roster attributes the registered strength at these camps to several armed groups, including the HNA, ZDV, KNA, UKRA, KNF(S), USRA, KNF(Z), UTLA, KNF(MC), ZRF, KLA, KRA, KRA(U), KLO, UMLA, PRA and KNLF.
The seven UPF camps listed are Ankhasuo, Phaibatang, New Teikot, Muolvaiphei, Najelthang, Thingsat and Mt. Sinai. The groups named in the roster include HPC(D), ZRA, ZDV, UKLF, KNF, KRA(U), KRF and ZRF.
COCOMI said the government could no longer rely on assurances without taking concrete action. It warned that if further attacks were carried out against Naga or Meetei habitations by armed Kuki groups, it would hold the government responsible for the consequences.
