Manipur’s urgent need for community peacemakers

Fresh ethnic violence claiming nine lives in Manipur is portending another round of flareup in the state. Killings, counter-killings, arson, economic blockades by communities engaged in mindless violence and clashes have further dimmed hopes for return of peace to the troubled state. If armed groups are not restrained, the resulting irreversible trust among communities may keep the state burning for indefinite period. Persistent violence despite heavy deployment of security forces and crackdown launched by them reflect widening gap in maintenance of land and order. For the security forces, however, the challenges of launching a full-scale crackdown against the armed groups stem from high risk of unwarranted collateral damage, with innocent unarmed civilians vulnerable to getting caught in the crossfire. In sharp contrast to armed groups carrying illegal weapons and also using them in carrying out targeted and indiscriminate killings, the security forces must act responsibly and with restraint to ensure that unarmed and peace-loving civilians are not harmed. Armed groups exploit this strategic gap by hiding among civilian populations, making it severely difficult for security forces to go all out against them. Allegations of involvement of armed groups based in Myanmar is a cause for grave concern and calls for India strengthening its border guarding along India-Myanmar border. The Central government’s push to expedite the construction of barbed wire fence along the state’s border with Myanmar is a step in right direction, but the project faces monumental challenges due to rugged and hilly terrain. Of the total 398 km of the India-Myanmar which Manipur share, 55 km has been fenced so far while construction work for another 80 km stretch has gained momentum. Sealing of the international border will help both India and Myanmar to manage shared border better, facilitating smooth passenger and goods movement and curbing illegal cross border smuggling of arms, narcotics and illegal crossings or armed groups. The fencing work gathered pace after the Central government decided in 2024 to push the working of fencing the entire 1,643-km India-Myanmar border “to facilitate better surveillance”, and scrap the Free Movement Regime between the two countries “to strengthen the internal security and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar.” While fencing the entire border is a long-term project, restoration of peace in the state is an immediate need to deny operational space to anti-India forces which have conspired to destroy age-old harmony among various communities to destabilise the region. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh rightly highlighted the huge economic losses caused by frequent bandhs, blockades and counter blockades in the state. His government has estimated that ever since the violence broke out in the state in 2023, frequent bandhs and blockades called by various groups have resulted in a loss of around Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore per day in tax, while the prolonged conflict had resulted in a decline of more than Rs 1,200 crore in Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue from 2023 to 2026. This alarming economic loss cannot be checked if community leaders do not take a resolute stand to isolate the armed groups who, by indulging in violence and counter-violence, have only added to woes of displaced people and other populations in the state gripped by prolonged violence and uncertainty. Restoration of permanent peace in the state will not be possible if the people displaced by violence are unable to return to their villages. The state government continuing to hold talks with representatives of various civil society organisations on the issue is crucial to trust building. The emphasis laid by Chief Minister Khemchand Singh that peace and development are closely interconnected is an established fact but it is crucial that his government delivers on this vision and promises through decisive governance and tangible outcomes. Apart from their sustained operations against armed groups involved in violence activities in the state, security forces securing the highways to facilitate safer movement of passengers and goods is essential to restoring confidence among the people to resume their daily economic activities. As communities are always interdependent on each other for their economic needs, restoration of routine trade and commerce, and agricultural activities plays crucial role in boosting confidence among ordinary people to support the government’s initiatives for return of peace and impress upon leaders of armed as well as un-armed hardline groups to stop all hostilities for allowing normalcy to return. Once they see tangible outcomes from government projects and initiatives that can end their miseries, they will feel more confident to pressurise the armed groups and other hardline groups for resolution of the conflict through dialogue with the government. Women and youth, who are the worst sufferers of prolonged conflict situation, must play important role of peacemakers for restoration of permanent peace in the troubled border state.