Manipur violence: What is SoO pact Amit Shah warned of dissolving?

Manipur government withdrew from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact on March 10. Amit Shah today also warned of the dissolution of the pact in any further violation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Thursday, said that any further violation by those belonging to groups part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement would be considered a violation of the SoO agreement and warned that it could lead to the dissolution of the SoO pact signed in 2008. After his three-day visit to the violence-hit Manipur, the home minister addressed the media.

What is the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact?

The Centre and state government signed the SoO pact to reach an agreement with 25 Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur in 2008. Of these 25 insurgent groups, 17 come under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and eight belong to the United People's Front (UPF).

According to the pact, the Centre and state governments agreed that the security forces would not launch any operations against these groups. In return, the insurgent groups will also not launch any such operation.

The pact also requires these groups to abide by the Constitution of India, the laws of the land and the territorial integrity of Manipur.
 

The SoO pact further bars these groups from committing any activity that amounts to atrocity or extortion, or any other unlawful operation.
 

The pact also confined their militant cadres to government-designated camps.

Even though the government made these groups deposit their weapons in a safe room with a double-locking system, they still had arms only to guard their camps.

The cadres of these insurgent groups living in the camps were given a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000. Under the pact, the government also provided them financial assistance to maintain the designated camps.

What is the Kuki conflict?

The Kukis are an ethnic group native to the Mizo Hills in Mizoram and Manipur.

In the 1990s, ethnic clashes broke out between the Nagas of Manipur and the Kukis. The Kuki insurgency gained momentum since then over the demand for a Kuki homeland. The Kukis clashed with the Nagas as the land they saw as a part of the "Kuki homeland" overlapped with the Nagas' demand for a "Naga homeland."

The underground insurgent groups have fought with the government since then.

What will be the implication of the Centre's withdrawal from SoO?

The state government had already announced its withdrawal from the pact on March 10 after Manipur violence as they believed that two SoO groups-- the Kuki National Army (KNA) and Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) had a significant role in the escalation of violence.

A withdrawal by the Centre from the tripartite can undo all the negotiations reached with insurgent groups until now. Additionally, not all insurgent groups had signed the pact.

The negotiations with the Kuki groups had brought down their demand for a "Kuki Homeland" to a "Kukiland Territorial Council" with financial and administrative powers. The negotiations are still underway for this. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Kuki groups had backed BJP on the promise of resolving the "Kuki issue".

Manipur saw violent clashes in May after a Manipur HC directive to the state government to recommend a Scheduled Tribe tag for the Meiti community.