Ceasefire agreements with three Naga groups extended (Ld)

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Kohima/New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The Union government on Monday extended the ceasefire agreements with three Naga insurgent outfits for one more year till April next year.

Officials in Kohima said that the Union Home Ministry has extended the ceasefire following agreements signed on Monday.

"It was decided to extend the ceasefire agreements for a further period of one year with effect from April 28 to April 27 next year with National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NK (NSCN-NK) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R). The ceasefire was also extended from 18th April 18 to 17th April 17 next year with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-K-Khango (NSCN-K-Khango)," the official said quoting the Home Ministry communique.

The ceasefire agreements are in operation between the government and NSCN-NK, NSCN-R and the NSCN-K-Khango, which are the breakaway factions of dominant groups National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K). The dominant group of the Naga outfit - NSCN-IM - had entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Central government in August 1997 and since then engaged in peace talks.

The outfit has held around 80 rounds of negotiations with the Central government in Delhi and even outside India after signing a ceasefire pact 23 years ago.

The Central government had signed a "framework agreement" with the NSCN-IM in 2015.

The NSCN-IM and the intelligence sources said that while many of the 31 demands of the Nagas have been almost resolved during the talks with the Centre, differences remain over a separate flag and a separate constitution.

Nagalim, a long-pending demand of the NSCN-IM for a separate Naga state, encompasses the Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar as well as parts of the northeastern states bordering Nagaland.

Nagaland Governor and the Central government's interlocutor for the Naga peace talks R.N. Ravi has recently rejected the demand for a separate flag and a Constitution for the state as demanded by the NSCN (IM).

--IANS

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