Imphal, July 22: The Naga civil society organisations has issued a 20-day ultimatum to the Government of India, demanding immediate reversal of the recent abrogation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and cessation of border fencing activities along the Indo-Myanmar border, which they claim infringe upon ancestral Naga territories.
The joint memorandum was submitted to the Union Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, via the Governor of Manipur. It was signed by the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women’s Union (NWU), and the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights – South (NPMHR-S).
The signatories have condemned the Centre’s decisions as “imposed and unilateral,” taken without any dialogue with the indigenous communities most directly impacted. They accused the government of violating multiple articles—specifically Articles 8, 26, and 36—of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which India has ratified.
The groups also recalled that they had previously submitted numerous memoranda and staged protest rallies across Senapati, Ukhrul, Kamjong, and Chandel districts between January and July 2025, urging the Centre to uphold indigenous land rights and halt any form of border demarcation.
In their strongly worded appeal, the Naga bodies laid out three key demands:
- Immediate revocation of the FMR abrogation order.
- Halt to all ongoing and proposed border fencing and demarcation in Naga ancestral areas.
- Initiation of meaningful, time-bound dialogue with all affected indigenous stakeholders and civil society organisations.
The organisations have warned that failure to respond to their demands within 20 days will lead to intensified protest actions across all Naga hill districts in Manipur.
The FMR, historically allowing cross-border movement for communities sharing ethnic and familial ties across the Indo-Myanmar boundary, has been a cornerstone of socio-cultural and economic life in these regions. Its abrogation and the proposed fencing have triggered widespread concerns about alienation, cultural disruption, and territorial encroachment.
