NPF calls upon Yimkhiung & Tikhir communities to exercise restraint

KOHIMA, OCTOBER 15 (MExN): The Naga People's Front (NPF) has appealed to the Yimkhiung and Tikhir communities to exercise restraint and refrain from violence amid the tense situation and reported conflict between the two communities.A press release from the NPF said it was “deeply anguished and seriously concerned” over the situation, stressing that both communities were part of the larger Naga family. “Yimkhiung and Tikhir are not two separate peoples — they are brothers sharing the same blood, the same history and the same struggle,” the party stated.It added that “any conflict between them is a wound inflicted on the entire Naga body,” warning that violence would bring suffering to innocent villagers, insecurity to border areas and division at a time when unity was needed for the collective political future of the Nagas.The NPF appealed to both communities to “exercise utmost restraint, maintain peace and refrain from any act of violence or provocation.”It also urged the Yimkhiung Tribal Council and the Tikhir Tribal Council to “immediately engage in dialogue through our time-tested customary laws and traditional wisdom” to resolve the situation peacefully.The party called on the district administrations of Shamator and Kiphire to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order, protect lives and property, and facilitate a peaceful resolution.