SoO and conflict resolution
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 31, 2014 -
Hardly a month is left before the current Suspension of Operation (SoO) extension term signed between UPF, KNO, Government of Manipur and Government of India expires on August 22.
A team of UPF has already landed at Delhi to talk about the truce and its future course with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The SoO pact was signed for the first time in 2008 and with it, some sort of public order was restored in many Kuki dominated areas of the State even though a state of wholesome peace still eludes these areas.
There have been reports of factional fights or killings of armed rivals here and there intermittently. Nonetheless, the overall situation has improved substantially.
In fact, the SoO pact has already paid rich dividends. The responsibility of arriving at a final solution now lies with the Government of India, Government of Manipur and the SoO signatory groups.
This is one rare opportunity which none of the stakeholders can afford to miss.
But so far, the pact has shown little promise of delivering what is expected from it, the final solution. Somehow all the parties directly involved in the pact seem to have stuck somewhere.
The way the State Government and New Delhi have been dealing with the issue looks like the peace process was initiated as a counter-insurgency measure rather than as a genuine initiative.
It may be because of military oriented advises or lack of expertise or inability to reach out to the expertise. Whatever the motives, there are certain compulsory measures or processes which need to be worked out before any peace talk or negotiation takes place.
The process should not be considered as surrender by the government and also by the armed opposition groups.
For instance, even after more than 60 years of armed conflict in Manipur, the government and the armed opposition groups are moving in parallel directions in terms of defining the problem or identifying the root cause(s).
The government has not accepted the position of the armed opposition groups.
Similarly, in spite of engaging international cooperation (military or otherwise), particularly with Myanmar and Bangladesh, to suppress the armed movement in the state, the government continues to claim that it is a law and order problem, and most recently, terrorism.
We are of the view that it will be impossible to start a conflict resolution or transformation process without defining a common problem.
So, if at all the government is interested to resolve the conflict in Manipur, starting with the Kuki rebels through peaceful and democratic means, then the first and the foremost step is initiation of a process for identifying the common problems, which are acceptable to both the conflicting groups, through an inclusive mechanism.
As demanded by some NGOs, it is crucial to constitute an independent commission for conflict resolution in the state which should be unfailingly accompanied by formulation of a framework on pre-negotiation, negotiation and post negotiation terms with special monitoring mechanisms with due representation from civil society and NGOs as a third party to settle the long standing political conflicts. It is not necessary that government has to take up all these processes at one time.
The most important one is to constitute the committee to identify a possible common meeting point within a time frame. The government should always remember that peace talk cannot be done with the Government and the armed opposition groups alone.
They can talk to each other but since they exist in the name of the people, every peace talk should involve the public including women in any of the process. The SoO process is currently in limbo. We hope the signatories can collectively take the much awaited next step (sic political dialogue) this time.
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