KOHIMA: Ikato Chishi Swu, whose father Isak Chishi Swu co-founded the National Socialist Council of Nagalim Isak-Muivah, or (NSCN-IM), on Friday announced his decision to join the group’s Myanmar-based “eastern flank” run by two Naga rebel leaders Hs. Ramsan and Absalom Raman, saying he saw “no future and no solution to the Naga issue under the present leadership”.
In a statement, Swu accused the current leadership of NSCN-IM of straying from the Naga cause and expressed his disappointment at the way the peace talks have been handled since the NSCN-IM and the Government of India signed their first ceasefire agreement in 1997.
Swu said the government started backtracking from the Framework Agreement of 2015 after his father’s death, and did not want to solve the issue but only “manage it and maintain the status quo”.
During the 28 years of ceasefire, the government had succeeded in corrupting NSCN-IM leaders, he said. These trapped leaders, he said, had begun to compromise the Naga “national interest” and many of them were on the payroll of intelligence agencies. Swu also alleged that positions within the NSCN-IM hierarchy could be purchased by paying huge sums of money.
People familiar with the matter said Swu had spoken about joining the two rebel leaders based in Myanmar who were functioning independently without help or direction from Hebron, the NSCN-IM’s designated headquarters, due to bad blood between the group’s armed wing chief Anthony Shimray and other leaders.
Reconciliation teams were sent across the border in the past to sort out their differences but had failed.
Asked about the development, a senior NSCN-IM leader said the group would not give a statement against Swu. “However, we are trying to stop the issue from getting blown up,” the leader said.
He also underlined that the eastern flank NSCN was not a faction as believed by many. “The misunderstandings and communication gaps have taken it too long to be resolved, giving room to other disgruntled seniors like Ikato Chishi Swu to join them,” he maintained.
The NSCN-IM leader also confirmed that Swu has taken 22 other members with him.
Ikato’s mother, Eustar Swu, who is also a member of the NSCN-IM’s collective leadership, is said to be in Hebron. “Mrs. Eustar is very much here with us. She is going to pronounce prayers at our upcoming Easter Sunday programme,” the leader added.
NSCN was formed in 1980 by Isak Chishi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and SS Khaplang in opposition to the Shillong Accord of 1975 signed by the then Naga National Council with the government of India. Owing to internal differences within the NSCN leadership, the group further split in 1988 into NSCN-IM led by Isak Chishi Swu and Th. Muivah and SS Khaplang-led NSCN-K. Khaplang died in 2017.