Manipur: Kuki-Zo Groups Fix 2027 Deadline, Seek Union Territory Status with Legislature
Representatives of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) and elected Kuki-Zo MLAs have adopted a series of resolutions demanding an expedited constitutional settlement for the Kuki-Zo people, including the creation of a Union Territory with Legislature.
The resolutions were unanimously adopted at a joint meeting held in Guwahati on January 13, reflecting growing frustration over prolonged ethnic violence, political uncertainty and the absence of a durable administrative solution in Manipur.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the prevailing political and security situation and recalled a formal political demand submitted to the Centre in September 2023. They cited over a year of ethnic violence, alleged targeted attacks on the community, and what they described as continued inaction or complicity of state agencies. The forum also noted an “unprecedented de facto demographic and administrative separation” that has existed for nearly 32 months.
The joint forum resolved that the Central Government must urgently fast-track negotiations to settle the demand for a Union Territory with Legislature, along with strong constitutional safeguards to protect land ownership and indigenous rights. It stressed that any settlement under the Constitution must be finalised and formally signed before the expiry of the current Manipur Legislative Assembly’s normal tenure.
The resolutions also set conditions for the restoration of an elected government in Manipur. Any future state government, they said, must provide a written and time-bound commitment supporting the proposed Union Territory with Legislature and ensure that the settlement process is completed within the current Assembly’s term.
Warning of political non-participation, the forum stated that in the absence of concrete assurances from both the Centre and the state, it would refrain from participating in the formation of an elected government in Manipur.
Setting a firm deadline, the meeting declared that a final political solution for the Kuki-Zo people must be achieved before the 2027 General Election, stating that further delays would be unacceptable given the scale of displacement, violence and administrative paralysis witnessed in recent years.
