First talks under new Manipur government held with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups

The first formal talks between the newly elected Manipur government and Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework were held...

What Happened

The first formal talks between the newly elected Manipur government and Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework were held on April 30, 2026 — approximately two months after the restoration of an elected government.
The elected government under Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh was restored in Manipur on February 4, 2026, ending a period of President's Rule.
The talks were led by AK Ajit Lal, the newly appointed interlocutor for Northeast peace talks and a former senior Intelligence Bureau officer, who recently succeeded AK Mishra in the role.
Deliberations focused on operational and security-related issues, particularly the location and functioning of designated camps housing SoO cadres, with both sides broadly agreeing on the need to relocate certain camps to reduce friction with local populations.
Kuki-Zo groups reiterated their demand for a Union Territory with a legislature for the hill areas, stating that a return to the pre-conflict status quo was not feasible.
The SoO pact had originally lapsed in February 2024 when the then-state government declined to extend it; it was renewed with revised ground rules on September 4, 2025 during President's Rule, ahead of a Prime Ministerial visit to the state.
The talks represent the first substantive engagement between the state government and insurgent groups since the May 2023 ethnic violence erupted.

Static Topic Bridges

The Manipur Ethnic Conflict 2023-2026: Origins and Scale

Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, triggered by protests over an Manipur High Court order that appeared to recommend Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community — the dominant valley-dwelling majority. The Kuki-Zo tribal communities of the surrounding hill districts, fearing this would dilute their constitutional protections over land and livelihoods, organised protests that descended into widespread communal violence. The conflict created a near-total rupture between the Meitei people of the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo people of the hill districts, with security forces unable to prevent large-scale displacement and destruction.

As of November 2024, at least 258 people had been killed and approximately 60,000 displaced in the violence.
4,786 houses and 386 religious structures (including churches and temples) were destroyed or vandalised.
The violence led to de facto ethnic territorial separation, with Meiteis concentrated in the Imphal Valley and Kuki-Zo communities in the hill districts.
President's Rule was imposed in Manipur from February 2025 after prolonged political deadlock, lasting until elections restored an elected government in February 2026.

Connection to this news: The first talks under the new government signal that institutional engagement is resuming after more than a year of political paralysis. The Kuki-Zo groups' demand for a separate Union Territory reflects how deep the ethnic divide has become — making political negotiation far more complex than a simple security settlement.

Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement: Framework and History

The SoO framework is a ceasefire mechanism between the Government of India, the Manipur state government, and Kuki-Zo insurgent groups. Under SoO, armed groups agree to cease offensive operations, confine cadres to designated camps, and keep weapons in locked storage under monitoring. In return, the government provides maintenance allowances for cadres and suspends counter-insurgency operations against these groups. The original SoO was signed in 2008 with two umbrella bodies — the United Peoples' Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) — covering approximately 24 insurgent groups.

The SoO framework was first signed in 2008 and has been periodically renewed.
It covers approximately 24 Kuki-Zo militant groups with combined estimated cadre strength of 2,000-3,000 fighters.
The state government declined to renew SoO in February 2024, arguing groups had violated ceasefire norms during the ethnic violence.
The SoO was revived with revised ground rules in September 2025 during President's Rule.
Cadres must remain in designated camps; weapons are stored in locked armouries under supervision.

Connection to this news: The April 30, 2026 talks focused specifically on the functioning of SoO camps — particularly relocation to reduce friction — indicating that the operational terms of the renewed ceasefire are still being worked out. This is an early-stage stabilisation dialogue, not yet a political settlement.

AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) in Manipur

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 grants sweeping powers to the Indian military to conduct operations in areas declared "disturbed." Under AFSPA, armed forces personnel can search and arrest without a warrant, use force including lethal force, and cannot be prosecuted without prior sanction from the central government. Manipur had seen partial withdrawal of AFSPA from some areas in the years before the 2023 conflict, but the violence led to its reimposition in hill districts and later in some valley districts.

AFSPA has been applied in Manipur since 1980 (with varying geographic scope).
In 2022, the central government partially withdrew AFSPA from some Manipur districts as part of a broader northeast de-escalation.
Post-May 2023 violence, AFSPA was reimposed in hill districts (predominantly Kuki-Zo areas) and later extended to certain valley districts as well.
AFSPA is periodically renewed in six-month cycles in Manipur.
Critics argue AFSPA creates impunity and hinders civilian justice; the Supreme Court has ruled that AFSPA does not grant immunity for unlawful killings.

Connection to this news: AFSPA's continued application in Manipur's hill districts — the areas under Kuki-Zo habitation — is a background condition for the SoO talks. Any peace settlement would likely involve demands for AFSPA withdrawal, making it a political as well as security variable.

Sixth Schedule: Constitutional Framework for Tribal Areas

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram through Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). These councils have legislative, executive, and judicial powers over specified matters including land management, forest use, social customs, and local governance. Manipur's tribal hill areas are currently not under the Sixth Schedule — a longstanding demand of tribal communities there.

The Sixth Schedule currently covers autonomous districts in Assam (Bodoland Territorial Council), Meghalaya (three autonomous district councils), Tripura (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council), and Mizoram (three district councils).
Manipur's hill areas are governed under the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) — a body with limited powers, unlike a full Sixth Schedule district council.
Kuki-Zo and other tribal groups have long demanded extension of the Sixth Schedule to Manipur hill areas as a guarantee of land rights and self-governance.
Extension of the Sixth Schedule requires a constitutional amendment (amendment to the First Schedule or specific provision).

Connection to this news: Kuki-Zo groups' demand for a Union Territory with legislature reflects their view that neither the existing HAC nor a potential Sixth Schedule extension would sufficiently protect their interests — they seek territorial separation from Meitei-dominated Manipur state governance entirely.

Northeast Peace Process: Role of Interlocutors

The central government has historically used senior bureaucrats or intelligence officials as interlocutors for peace talks with insurgent groups in the northeast. This mechanism allows for back-channel engagement without formal political commitment. The interlocutor operates on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs and coordinates between the central government, state governments, and insurgent groups under the SoO or ceasefire framework.

AK Mishra served as the previous interlocutor for northeast peace talks; AK Ajit Lal (former senior IB officer) has taken over.
Similar interlocutor mechanisms are used in Naga peace talks (NSCN-IM framework agreement of 2015, which remains to be finalised).
The centre aims to resolve all major northeast insurgencies by 2029 under a stated government target.

Connection to this news: The appointment of a new interlocutor and the resumption of SoO-framework talks signals institutional continuity in the peace process even as the political landscape in Manipur has changed with the restoration of electoral government.

Key Facts & Data

Ethnic violence began May 3, 2023; at least 258 killed and ~60,000 displaced as of November 2024.
4,786 houses and 386 religious structures destroyed in the conflict.
Elected Manipur government restored February 4, 2026 under CM Y. Khemchand Singh.
First SoO talks under new government held April 30, 2026, led by interlocutor AK Ajit Lal.
SoO framework covers ~24 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups; originally signed in 2008 with UPF and KNO.
SoO lapsed February 2024; revived September 4, 2025 with revised ground rules during President's Rule.
Kuki-Zo demand: Union Territory with legislature for Manipur hill areas.
AFSPA has been in force in Manipur since 1980; reimposed in hill districts post-May 2023.
Sixth Schedule currently does not extend to Manipur's hill areas.
Central government target: resolve all major northeast insurgencies by 2029.