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Imphal: Thousands of Naga people, including women and children, gave a warm welcome to NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah at Manipur’s Ukhrul district headquarters on Wednesday.
Naganese leader Muivah, who is also the Ato Kilonsar (Prime Minister) of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), arrived in the inhabited UPHRL district to visit his birthplace, Somdal village, for the first time in 50 years.
Thousands of Nagas from all sections of the society, dressed in traditional attire and carrying NSCN-IM flags, welcomed Muivah after his helicopter landed at Bakshi Maidan of the district headquarters from Dimapur in Nagaland.
From there he reached the specially built stage for his grand welcome.
A large number of Naga men, holding traditional spears and wearing traditional caps, came to the venue to welcome Muivah, the key negotiator in the Naga peace talks with the central government since the entry of the NSCN-IM into ceasefire in 1997.
Influential Naga body Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) organized all the arrangements for the much-awaited visit of Muivah and his associates to Ukhrul district.
The NSCN-IM general secretary is expected to stay in Somdal village for about a week, which is his first visit since joining the Naga movement five decades ago.
Several senior NSCN-IM leaders accompanied Muivah to Tangkhul Naga-inhabited district. The entire Tangkhul Naga community is filled with excitement as they 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 TNL and co-convenor of the organizing committee, supervised the arrangements for the grand welcome.
“The 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,” Jollison told the media.
Local residents and various organizations have put up posters, decorative gates and hoardings in Ukhrul and Senapati districts, including Somdal village, welcoming the 91-year-old NSCN-IM leader, who left his village more than five decades ago to join the Naga movement.
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 Nas are the largest Naga tribe in Manpur. After the colorful mega reception and Ukhrul district headquarters, Muivah left for his native village Somdal, about 25 kilometers away.
A government official said a helipad has been constructed at Somdal to accommodate the arrival of the veteran Naga leader, who is likely to stay there for a week before returning to Dimapur via Manipur’s Senapati district on October 29.
Muivah’s previous visit to Ukhrul district in 2010 was opposed by some sections and the then state government due to security reasons, but this time there has been no objection.
Born in 1934, Muivah’s name is synonymous with the contemporary Naga political movement. 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 16 districts of Manipur, the Naga-inhabited districts are Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul, Kamjong, Noni and Senapati, all located along the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.
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.
–IANS