A gradual consolidation of the NSCN(IM) in Myanmarese territory adjoining Manipur and Nagaland has given the biggest insurgent group a hold over various armed militants groups stoking unrest in the Northeastern states.
According to intelligence reports, the movement of several valley based insurgent groups in Sagaing region has been lent logistical support by the NSCN(IM) cadres who are menacingly sitting across the border.
While the Valley based insurgent groups are said to have consolidated in Myothit in Myanmar and were used as mercenaries by the military junta after they crossed over during the ethnic strife in Manipur in May last year, the Kuki militant groups rallied in support of the People’s Defence Force, sources said.
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The dynamics of engagements of these combined forces continued to change under the surface. What grew as a major concern for security forces were the activities of the NSCN(IM) which started holding control over existing routes and building new routes for movement of militants between the Valley and the Myanmarese territory.
This led to a revival of the outfit’s depleting strength and sway in the lawless lands with a set of leaders who were tapping into the Chinese territory to make the base stronger with arms and ammunition.
Top security officials admit it is no surprise that the outfit is once again demanding a separate flag and Constitution as its strength swells, but what is more worrisome is the fate of the large Naga population living across the border in the self administered zone in the face of renewal of an armed struggle.
“While the conflict in Manipur is not linked to the NSCN(IM) ,the developing situation in adjoining Nagaland has the potential of spreading unrest in other parts of the northeast,” a security official said.
There is significant Naga population spread across Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.
An unresolved strife in Manipur coupled with the growing threat of unrest in Nagaland with an emboldened NSCN(IM) can prove a headache for security forces guarding the porous Indo - Myanmar border.