PR COCOMI ON Sovereignty Dec 2024

PRESS RELEASE

2 DECEMBER 2024

INDIA HAS COMPROMISED THE SOVEREIGNTY OF MANIPUR TO ETHNIC REBEL GROUPS FROM MYANMAR: COCOMI CALLS FOR CLARITY IN ADDRESSING THE ONGOING CRISIS

COCOMI has been vigilantly monitoring India’s administrative policies concerning Manipur since the outbreak of Kuki aggression on 3 May 2023. The crisis has now escalated to alarming proportions due to the Indian Government’s evident failure to safeguard Manipur’s territorial sovereignty, enabling ethnic rebel groups from Myanmar to exploit and destabilize the region.

Revelations from Senior Officials and Leaders

Credible statements from senior government officials have underscored the systemic failures and external influences exacerbating the crisis. Former Governor of Manipur, Smt. Anusuiya Uikey, remarked (The Hindu, 15 July 2023):

“Infiltrators may have fuelled the Manipur crisis.”

Further, in an interview with The Print on 21 November 2024, she admitted:

“There is an international hand behind the conflict, which is why violence can’t be stopped despite the Centre’s efforts. People of the state wanted the Prime Minister to visit. Despite repeated requests sent to the PMO, he has not visited.”

Adding to these disclosures, Justice Siddharth Mridul, former Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, stated (The Hindu, 1 December 2024):

“The violence continues due to infiltration, smuggling of drugs and arms through Myanmar, and demographic changes over the years.”

These statements point to India’s ineffective border management and lack of decisive action to curb illegal activities, which have directly contributed to the worsening situation.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its recent investigations, exposed the role of Kuki militant groups such as KNA, KNF, and UKNA in heinous crimes, including the murder of four civilians in January 2024 (E-Pao.net, 2 December 2024). Despite these revelations, the Indian Government has failed to dismantle the infrastructure of these groups or hold them accountable for their actions.

Before the outbreak of the conflict, a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Illegal Immigration, led by Minister Letpao Haokip, had identified 2,480 illegal immigrants in 2023 across several districts in Manipur. However, this campaign was prematurely halted after violence erupted in May 2023, leaving thousands of illegal settlers unaccounted for and fueling the conflict further (Economic Times, 12 May 2024).

Reports from border villages (Ukhrul Times, 18 May 2024) reveal that Kuki militants operate freely across the India-Myanmar border, acquiring arms and logistical support. Alarmingly, Indian security forces, particularly the Assam Rifles, have been accused of inaction or even collusion with these groups. Villagers have witnessed drone bombings and cross-border operations that have further destabilized the area.

An Indian Army officer, speaking candidly to media (Ukhrul Times), acknowledged:

“KNA or KNA (B) are the same. On the Myanmar side, they are known as KNA (B), and just a change of nomenclature when they cross the border.”

This blatant acknowledgment of cross-border militant activity raises serious concerns about India’s role in facilitating, or at the very least failing to prevent, the escalating conflict.

COCOMI unequivocally declares the ongoing situation as:

“Kuki Aggression under the Disguise of India’s Proxy War.”

The Indian Government’s deliberate inaction, mismanagement of the India-Myanmar border, and apparent complicity in allowing cross-border militant activity cannot be ignored. Despite repeated warnings, evidence submissions, and public outcry, the Government has consistently downplayed the crisis, framing it as an “ethnic conflict” or “communal tension.”

This misrepresentation absolves India of its responsibility to address the root causes of the crisis and exacerbates the suffering of Manipur’s indigenous people. By failing to enforce territorial sovereignty, curb illegal immigration, and dismantle militant networks, the Indian Government has directly contributed to the prolonged violence and instability in the state.

COCOMI urges the people of Manipur and the international community to recognize the gravity of the situation and hold the Indian Government accountable for its failures. We call for:

• Immediate acknowledgment of the ongoing crisis as a “proxy war” involving external actors and state negligence.
• Decisive action to secure the India-Myanmar border and dismantle the infrastructure of armed militant groups within the state in a stipulated time.
• Transparent investigations into allegations of collusion between security forces and armed groups.
• A comprehensive strategy to address illegal immigration, illegal poppy cultivations, illegal arm smuggling and trafficking of drugs and also to restore demographic balance in Manipur.

COCOMI appeals to every Manipuri to reject misleading narratives and recognize the crisis for what it truly is: a deliberate compromise of Manipur’s territorial and demographic security by the Indian Government. It is imperative to call the situation “Kuki Aggression under the Disguise of India’s Proxy War” and not reduce it to a mere ethnic or communal conflict.

Manipur’s survival and sovereignty depend on a collective demand for accountability, justice, and decisive action.

(Yumkhaibam Surjitkumar Khuman)
Media Coordinator, COCOMI