NSCN-IM chief Muivah returns to native Manipur village after 60 years | Ground Report

In a state fractured by deep ethnic divisions, the return of Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN-IM, to his native village of Somdal in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Wednesday (October 22) became a powerful symbol of emotional homecoming, political introspection and tentative inter‑community healing.

As the Pawan Hans helicopter touched down at Pakshi Ground in Ukhrul around 11.45 am, a hush swept through the crowd of thousands. Within moments, silence gave way to tears, chants and traditional cheers. “Avakharar” — meaning 'grandfather' in the affectionate Tangkhul dialect — had finally come home.

Also read: NSCN-IM supremo Muivah's proposed Manipur visit sparks fresh unease

He flew from the NSCN-IM headquarters in Hebron near Dimapur in Nagaland.

Returns home after six decades

After more than six decades away, most of it spent leading the longest‑running insurgency in South Asia, Muivah returned to his people not as a fugitive or commander in hiding, but as an ageing patriarch and key peace negotiator.

The 91‑year‑old leader, co‑founder and the 'Ato Kilonser' (prime minister) of the NSCN-IM, has long been the face of the Naga political struggle. His visit to Ukhrul marked his first return to Somdal village since he left in 1964 to pursue the “Naga cause“.

Also read: Thaw in Naga peace process as Centre seeks damage control post Manipur

Accompanied by his wife Pakahao Muivah and top NSCN‑IM leaders, including military chief Anthony Ningkhan and deputy Ato Kilonser V S Atem, the homecoming had the feel of a political pilgrimage and a cultural celebration rolled into one.

Thousands of men, women, and children lined the streets of Ukhrul town, dressed in traditional Naga attire, waving blue Naga flags, a symbol of identity now at the centre of contested peace‑talk demands, with the Indian government refusing to concede to the NSCN-IM’s demand for a separate flag.

Naga MLAs from the Manipur Legislative Assembly, ordained pastors and leaders of the influential Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) — the apex body of the Tangkhul Naga tribe — stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the villagers.

Also read: Naga flag, Constitution inseparable from sovereignty of people: NSCN-IM

In a symbolic gesture of reverence, a special prayer for Muivah’s longevity was conducted by Tangkhul clergy, with scripture and folklore entwining into an emotional tapestry.

But it wasn’t just the Nagas who turned up. In a rare gesture of inter‑ethnic goodwill, representatives from the Meitei civil society, including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), participated in the reception.

“Considering that Meitei civil society had objected to Muivah’s earlier attempt to visit his native village in 2010, this was nothing short of a watershed,” claimed Ato Yepthomi, former president of Nagaland unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Why Muivah's visit is significant

The timing of Muivah’s visit carries immense political and symbolic weight. Manipur is still reeling from the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki‑Zo groups that erupted in May 2023, claiming over 260 lives and displaced nearly 70,000 people.

Also read: In leaked letter to PM, Naga militant outfit proposed talks in third country

While the Naga‑majority districts remained largely unaffected by direct violence, they remained a peripheral yet important stakeholder in the state’s volatile ethnic equation.

“That the civil‑society groups from communities with historic mistrust towards each other could come together to welcome a figure as polarising and powerful as Muivah suggests a new, albeit fragile, willingness to engage in dialogue across fault lines,” said Yepthomi.

The Global Naga Forum (GNF) hailed the moment as one of “goodwill and mutual understanding“.

Many are already calling the visit a soft turning point, a symbolic thawing of rigid identity politics that have long dictated inter‑community relations in Manipur.

Muivah remains the chief political negotiator for the NSCN-IM in the ongoing talks with the Indian government.

The talks, initiated after the 1997 ceasefire agreement, had once gathered momentum with the signing of the Framework Agreement in 2015. However, the impasse in subsequent years, largely over the demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution, has stalled the process.

Also read: Manipur violence: 175 killed, over 1,100 injured in four months, say police

No official statements on the peace talks were released during the visit, but the public nature of Muivah’s return signals something deeper.

According to V S Atem, who delivered a life‑history of the Naga movement on Muivah’s behalf, the visit was “a reaffirmation of the Naga spirit” and a reminder that the Naga issue is not merely political but existential for its people.

Stress on full recognition of Nagalim's unique history

Muivah, in his 45‑minute address that was read out by Atem on his behalf, stressed that the Indo‑Naga political dialogue, which began in 1997 between two entities without pre‑conditions and outside India, must conclude with full recognition of “Nagalim’s” unique history, sovereignty, national flag and constitution. He reiterated that the Framework Agreement signed with the Centre in 2015 and the earlier Amsterdam Joint Communique of 2002 are the only legitimate foundations for an honourable and acceptable political settlement.

Also read: A daring drive down the famished road to Muivah’s Somdal

He criticised the Indian government for allegedly “betraying” the spirit of these agreements by refusing to recognise the Naga national flag and constitution, which he called “non‑negotiable”.

He warned that any settlement outside the agreed framework would not be acceptable to NSCN or the Naga people.

Calling for unity among all Naga communities, the NSCN-IM leader further urged them not to compromise the political rights already acknowledged in the Framework Agreement. “We are prepared to conclude the political negotiation, but we are equally prepared to face the battlefield if the Centre imposes a military solution,” he said.

'A cautious sense of hope'

Dipankar Roy, a Guwahati‑based senior journalist, suggested that Muivah’s decision to visit now — amid a political vacuum in Manipur under President’s Rule — may be an attempt to refocus the national discourse on the Naga issue, and perhaps to nudge New Delhi into reviving talks with a greater sense of urgency.

“While the broader issues facing the Nagas and the state of Manipur remain unresolved, Muivah’s return, welcomed with open arms rather than political protests, has signalled a cautious sense of hope,” said Xavier Mao, a political observer and professor at North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Meghalaya.

His presence in Somdal over the next week is likely to see more quiet diplomacy among community leaders and perhaps an unspoken renewal of the social contract among Manipur’s fractured communities.