Imphal: The next round of tripartite talks involving the United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur Government, and the Government of India is scheduled to take place in Senapati on November 13.
The Centre issued a notice to the UNC president on Friday, confirming the meeting’s date and time. The upcoming talks are a continuation of the dialogue that resumed in New Delhi last month after a five-year hiatus.
The previous round of talks, held on October 11, focused on the creation of seven new districts by the Manipur Government in 2016 and the UNC’s demand for their rollback. The meeting was attended by high-level officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Manipur government, and representatives from the UNC.
The tripartite talks, initiated in 2017, have so far yielded limited progress despite eleven rounds of discussions. The UNC, the apex body of Nagas in Manipur, had temporarily suspended a proposed bandh in Naga-dominated areas on October 3 following the resumption of talks in the same month.
On September 11 this year, the UNC submitted an ultimatum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the pending issue relating to the “arbitrary creation of seven new districts in Manipur,” and demanded the Manipur Government to withdraw the same.
The new districts are Jiribam, Kamjong, Kakching, Tengnoupal, Noney, Pherzawl and Kangpokpi. The creation of these districts in 2016 led to significant unrest and protests in the region.
