Where the Northeast points to trouble

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling insurgency in the Assam,Manipur and Nagaland a problematic and worrisome situation....

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling insurgency in the Assam,Manipur and Nagaland a problematic and worrisome situation,and Home Minister P Chidambaram commenting that there has not been much progress in the Northeast during his speech during the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security,Samudra Gupta Kashyap takes a look at the most troubled states in the region:

Assam

Insurgency dates back to formation of the United Liberation Front of Assam ULFA in April 1981. Since then,several insurgent groups have cropped up,mostly claiming to represent their respective communities. The National Democratic Front of Bodoland NDFB,for instance,is standing for a sovereign Bodo state. Assam currently has eight active militant groups:

amp;149;ULFA.

amp;149;Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation front LNLF

amp;149;All Adivasi National Liberation Army

amp;149; Dima Halam Daoga Jewel aka Black Widow

amp;149;Kuki Revolutionary Army

amp;149; Hmar Peoples Convention Democratic

amp;149;Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam MULTA

amp;149; Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

Apart from these,there are six groups,including a faction each of the ULFA and NDFB,in ceasefire. The other four are: United Peoples Democratic Solidarity,Adivasi Cobra Militant Force,Birsa Commando Force and DHD Dileep Nunisa faction.

In Assam there were 248 insurgency-related incidents in 2007,as many as 207 in 2008 and 221 in 2009. While 132 civilians were killed in 2007,93 were killed in 2008 and 83 in the first five months of 2009.

Nagaland

Nagalands history of insurgency dates back to August 14,1947,when A Z Phizo,founder of the Naga National Council hoisted the flag for Independent Nagaland. Since then several organisations with the same objective have been born. Right now the state has two major groups:

amp;149;National Socialist Council of Nagalim IM.

amp;149;National Socialist Council of Nagalim K.

While both groups are under a ceasefire agreement with the government,the situation continues to remain troublesome,with extortions being the biggest menace.

Nagaland has recorded 128 insurgency-related incidents in 2007,as many as 145 in 2008 and 56 till May 2009. Twenty-one civilians were killed in 2007,35 in 2008 and 2 in 2009 till May

Manipur

Story continues below this ad

With three major ethnic groups in Manipur,its insurgency is also primarily divided into rebel groups of the Meitei,Naga and Kuki tribes. While the Meitei insurgents prime objective is to free their pre-British territorial boundary from Indian occupation,the Naga rebels of Manipur support the demand of sovereign Nagalim Greater Nagaland comprising Nagaland along with the Naga-majority areas of Manipur,Assam,Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. The Kukis,on the other hand,support the demand of separate Kukiland for which Kukis of Burma are also fighting.

Manipur has numerous insurgent groups: Peoples Liberation Army PLA,United National Liberation Front UNLF,Revolutionary Peoples Front RPF,Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak PREPAK,Manipur Liberation Front Army MLFA,Kanglei Yawol Khnna Lup KYKL,Revolutionary Joint Committee RJC,Kangleipak Communist Party KCP,Peoples United Liberation Front PULF,National Socialist Council of Nagaland NSCN-K,National Socialist Council of Nagaland NSCN-I/M,Naga Lim Guard NLG,Kuki National Front KNF,Kuki National Army KNA,Kuki Defence ForceKDF,Kuki Democratic Movement KDM,Kuki National Organisation KNO,Kuki Security Force KSF,Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front CKRF,Kom Rem Peoples Convention KRPC,Zomi Revolutionary VolunteersZRV,Zomi Revolutionary Army ZRA,Zomi Reunification Organisation ZRO,and Hmar Peoples Convention HPC.

Insurgency-related incidents in Manipur: 240 in 2007,as many as 262 in 2008 and 211 in the first five months of 2009. Forty-six civilians were killed in 2006,76 in 2008 and 40 in 2009 until May.