Manipur: COCOMI rejects Delhi peace talks, demands SoO abrogation

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has criticized the recent meeting facilitated by the Ministry of Home Affairs between representatives of the Meetei and Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar groups, branding the engagement a "stage-managed exercise" aimed at reinforcing a 'misleading narrative' presented by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament.

In a sharply-worded statement, COCOMI refused to participate in what it termed an “orchestrated spectacle” held in Delhi, alleging that the Government of India is actively constructing a false image of the Manipur conflict as merely an ethnic dispute between the Meetei and Kuki communities. The organization reiterated that this portrayal ignores the complex, deeply rooted issues fueling the ongoing unrest, including what they claim is a state-sponsored proxy war involving Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist networks.

“This so-called peace initiative is nothing more than a carefully timed political performance to serve the Union Home Minister’s narrative in Parliament,” said COCOMI in a press release. 

According to COCOMI, the central government’s repeated actions and policy choices since the eruption of violence in 2023 reflect a clear partisan stance. 

In its previous engagements, including meetings held in Imphal, COCOMI claims to have clearly conveyed that the people of Manipur view the central government not as an impartial peace broker, but as an active party in the conflict.

The committee expressed grave concern over what it called the harboring of foreign-origin armed mercenaries under the guise of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement, in effect since 2005. COCOMI alleges that these groups, armed and emboldened by state inaction, continue to exert control over certain regions, undermining both peace and democratic governance.

In its statement, COCOMI outlined a series of immediate demands which it argues are prerequisites for any meaningful peace process:

Strict enforcement of rule of law across Manipur.

Neutralization of armed groups, especially those under SoO, operating in hill areas.

Prosecution of militants involved in territorial occupation and highway blockades.

Revocation of the SoO agreement to dismantle militant strongholds.

Restoration of free movement and road access throughout the state.

Accountability for those rejecting peace efforts, including those ignoring Home Minister and Governor initiatives.

Acknowledgment of the real drivers of conflict: illegal immigration, narco-terrorism, and separatist ideologies.

Direct government engagement with SoO leadership, bypassing symbolic civilian proxies.

COCOMI insists that no civilian-level peace talks will bear fruit until a terror-free environment is restored. It stressed that civil society organizations lack the capability to disarm militants or ensure law enforcement, placing the onus entirely on the Government of India.