The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam stated it’ll facilitate the return of round 1,000 Kuki-Zo individuals who took shelter within the Singhason hills for the reason that outbreak of violence in Manipur final yr.
Conferences can be held with completely different stakeholders on the difficulty to facilitate the return of the Kuki-Zos who’ve come right here, KAAC Chief Govt Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang stated.
“We’re not going to forcefully evict them however will facilitate their return after discussions with numerous social and political organisations, together with these from the Kuki group,” he stated.
Ronghang stated land rights could be given solely to individuals who have lived within the Karbi Anglong district since its institution or have been longstanding everlasting residents.
“People migrating from exterior the district, notably these from Manipur, wouldn’t be granted land rights via our initiative of distributing land paperwork,” he stated on the sidelines of a land rights distribution programme within the Japrajan space of Bokajan on Tuesday.
A gathering has been convened on November 28 to debate the matter and “we’re hopeful of resolving the difficulty amicably”, he added.
Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts are ruled by the autonomous council beneath the Sixth Schedule of the Structure.
The 2 districts are house to the Karbis, which has the biggest inhabitants among the many hill tribes, Kukis, Hmars and Thadous.
The hills have witnessed widespread ethnic battle between the Karbis and Kukis prior to now. Within the late ’90s and early ’00s, the battle escalated into frequent clashes between militant teams claiming to symbolize the 2 communities — United Folks’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the Kuki Revolutionary Military (KRA), ensuing within the killing of over 100 individuals.
The Karbi militant outfits signed a peace settlement with the federal government in 2021, ending the violence.
The battle between the Karbis and Kukis has its roots in disputes over land, sources and political representations.
Over 250 individuals have been killed within the ethnic clashes between Kuki-Zos and the Meitei group in Manipur since Might final yr. Hundreds of individuals have been displaced by the violence, which broke out over the Metei group’s demand for tribal standing and the tribal Kuki-Zo individuals’s opposition to it.
