Renewed hope for enduring peace in Nagaland

Colonel Prakash Bhatt (Retd)Noida (UP)Myanmar’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) met with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) (AM) on 22 October 2026 at the Grand Amara Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The meeting followed the group’s expressed interest in national unity and peace building talks. NSCN-K (AM) signed a bilateral ceasefire agreement on 3 October 2025; later talks covered local development, education, healthcare, and transport infrastructure. To advance peace efforts, the NSPNC asked the group to submit its development needs for government consideration and discuss barriers to cooperation on regional peace and stability. On 19 and 20 October 2026, the NSPNC had met political parties and other civil organisations at its headquarters to discuss lasting peace and prepare the groundwork for a democratic and federal union.NSCN-K (AM) Chairman U Ann Mai thanked the NSPNC for the invitation and called the dialogue a historic milestone toward sustainable peace. He pledged cooperation to help the region keep pace with other areas in education, healthcare, transport infrastructure, and economic development, while improving local socioeconomic well-being.Participants discussed a possible proposal to Hluttaw (Parliament), under the 2008 Constitution, to add townships to the Naga Self-Administered Zone; negotiations on political aspirations for lasting peace; and upgrading villages and village tracts in the zone to towns under the relevant administrative rules and procedures. They also considered priority road sections to improve regional transport links and coordination with ministries to help qualified local students pursue education and healthcare studies at appropriate universities, colleges, and training institutes. NSPNC Secretary Lt-Gen Min Naing then discussed cooperation with the Tatmadaw and regional government departments on security and development. He stressed the need for systematic supervision of armed group members on the ground to prevent actions that could undermine the peace process.Recent developments in neighbouring Myanmar have renewed hopes in Nagaland for lasting peace through a ceasefire and an agreement between the Government of India and NSCN-K (AM). The Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) has urged the government to initiate a ceasefire with the group in the broader interests of Nagaland’s people. Support from all tribes, particularly the Tribes of Eastern Nagaland, is considered important given their ethnic ties with the Nagas of Myanmar. The Eastern Tribes’ demand for autonomous self-government through the creation of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority(FNTA) has now been realised with the President’s official assent, who is expected to attend the inaugural ceremony of Hornbill Festival on 01 Dec 26. The Naga issue is complex because it spans two sovereign countries, India and Myanmar. A comprehensive solution therefore requires both countries to engage with armed groups to secure lasting peace within their respective borders.Unconfirmed media reports suggest efforts to reunite the Myanmar-based NSCN-K (AM) and NSCN-K (YA) factions. NSCN-K (AM) and NSCN (IM) are in contact to build unity and negotiate ceasefires and peace agreements with the governments of India and Myanmar, respectively. However, NSCN (IM) Eastern Flank, a new splinter group operating as a “provisional government” in Manipur, has rejected the Hebron-based NSCN (IM)’s visit to Myanmar. These efforts appear aimed at uniting all groups and civil society ahead of the Government of India’s announcement of the long-awaited Final Solution for Nagas. As Christmas approaches, we hope and pray that Father Christmas brings a special gift for the Nagas.