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Imphal, Oct 21 (IANS) With just a day left for the long-awaited homecoming of NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, preparations are underway in full swing in Naga-inhabited Ukhrul and Senapati districts of Manipur.
Nagagenarian leader Muivah, who is also the Ato Kilonsar (Prime Minister) of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), is keen to visit his birthplace at Somdal village on October 22 for the first time in 50 years.
Preparations have reached the final stage in Ukhrul city and his native village Somdal.
An Ukhrul district official said Muivah will reach the district headquarters by helicopter from Dimapur in Nagaland on Wednesday and will be welcomed in traditional and customary style by the Tangkhul Naga people.
The official said that after the program at Ukhrul district headquarters, he will go to his native village Somdal by road. The entire Tangkhul Naga community is filled with excitement as they prepare to welcome one of the most important figures in Naga history to their motherland after decades of struggle for Naga cause.
RS Jollison, vice president of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) and co-convenor of the organizing committee, confirmed that all preparations for the grand welcome are almost complete.
“This occasion marks not only the homecoming of a leader but also the homecoming of history, rekindling the collective spirit and unity of the Naga people,” he told the media.
According to the TNL leader, the grand event on October 22 will include a public congregation at the Ukhrul headquarters, followed by a formal welcome at Somdal village, Muivah’s birthplace.
Local Naga residents and various organizations have put up posters, decorated gates and put up hoardings in various parts of Ukhrul and Senapati districts, including Somdal village, welcoming the NSCN-IM leader, who left his village more than five decades ago to join the insurgency for the Naga cause.
Officials said Muivah, who has been the chief negotiator in the Naga peace talks with the central government since the NSCN-IM’s entry into the ceasefire in 1997, is likely to stay in Somdal and Senapati districts for a few days before returning to Dimapur in Nagaland.
Muivah’s much-awaited visit comes at a time when Manipur is recovering from ethnic violence between the non-tribal Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribal groups that broke out in May 2023.
More than 260 people from both communities have been killed and about 70,000 displaced in the conflict. Widespread destruction of government and private property, including religious establishments, was also reported in 10 out of 16 districts of Manipur.
After months of unrest, Chief Minister N. President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on 13 February, four days after Biren Singh resigned from his post.
Village officials in Tangkhul Naga-dominated areas, along with youth and student bodies, civil society organizations and influential churches, are jointly taking all possible steps to ensure the success of the Naga leader’s visit.
Tangkhul Nagas are the largest Naga tribe of Manipur. In 2010, Muivah’s proposed visit to Ukhrul district was opposed by some sections, but this time there has been no objection.
Born in 1934, Muivah’s name is synonymous with the contemporary Naga political movement and he is one of the most influential and powerful Naga leaders. Several organizations of Kuki, Zomi and Meitei communities in Manipur have also welcomed Muivah’s visit.
Of the total 16 districts of Manpur, another Naga-inhabited trust, Chandel, Ukjong, Noni and Senpati, all lie on the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.
–IANS
SC/And