KNO & UPF PRESS STATEMENT

Office of the

KUKI NATIONAL ORGANISATION

AND

UNITED PEOPLES FRONT

PRESS STATEMENT

7th September 2025

The recently concluded MHA and SoO extension agreement for one year, effective from the date signed 4 September 2025, at New Delhi clearly states, 'Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement shall be followed by tripartite dialogue with KNO and UPF to pave the way for a negotiated political settlement under the Constitution Of India in a time bound manner.'

The Public Information Bureau (PIB), which is responsible for MHA's publications has put a spin of the signed official agreement as follows: 'Among other provisions, the revised ground rules reiterated: Need for a negotiated solution to bring peace and stability to the state of Manipur.' This twist by PIB does not figure anywhere in the SoO agreement signed between MHA and SoO group.

Unfortunately, PIB's irregularity has caused immense confusion among the Kuki Zo people, who have been waiting for the SoO agreement, delayed since 29 February 2024 because the Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei militant organisation issued a diktat to the Meitei government of Manipur to unilaterally abrogate the agreement. PIB's aberration has seriously upset the Kuki Zo sentiments to a point of affecting the mood over the much-awaited Prime Minister's visit to Lamka (Ccpur District) on 13 September 2025.

For the benefit of the general public, prior to the state government sponsored ethnic cleansing of Kuki Zo, which started on 3 May 2023 in Imphal and quickly spread to the foothills bordering the valley districts separating the Kuki Zo inhabited hill districts, the SoO group demand was local autonomy by way Of Territorial Council within the state of Manipur. The ethnic cleansing led to departure from demand for TC to demand for Union Territory with Legislature, which was submitted at the SoO meeting on 1 September 2023 at New Delhi.

Following the renewed SoO agreement, future talks between the SoO group and Government's representatives will focus on the demand for UT with Legislature.

Pub & Inf Dept

KNO & UPF

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