Manipur: Naga calls off blockade after talks; Kuki CSOs end NH-2 shutdown

Guwahati: Tensions in Manipur eased on Thursday after the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) called off its blockade and agitation immediately following productive talks with the state government in Imphal.

The FNCC had initiated the blockade on July 18 to protest against alleged unauthorized road constructions, particularly the controversial “German Road” through Naga ancestral lands without their consent.

In retaliation, the Kuki Working Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) imposed an economic blockade on National Highway-2 (NH-2), restricting movement in response to the FNCC’s bandh, which limited Kuki people's mobility.

A spokesperson from the Kuki Working CSOs had earlier declared, “This blockade will continue until the FNCC ends its unjust bandh and allows free movement of our people.”

Senior government officials, led by N Ashok Kumar, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home), conducted talks with FNCC leaders, including Dr. Aku Newme and B Robin Kabui, addressing key issues such as unauthorized road projects, the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, and illegal poppy cultivation.

The government clarified it had not approved or sanctioned any unauthorized road construction and promised to take legal action after verification. It also committed to protecting the interests of Naga communities in the foothill regions during the SoO agreement review and vowed to continue strict enforcement under its ongoing “War on Drugs” campaign.

Following these assurances, FNCC leaders signed an agreement with the government and promptly lifted the indefinite bandh, which had barred Kuki movement through Naga-inhabited areas.