NEW DELHI: Centre on Saturday held the first structured talks with representatives of Manipur’s Meitei and Kuki communities, locked in ethnic conflict since May 2023, in an effort to bring full normalcy and lasting peace to the state.
A six-member Meitei delegation comprising representatives from All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation and Federation of Civil Society Organisations attended the meeting anchored by Centre’s interlocutor & senior Intelligence Bureau official A K Mishra. Kuki side was represented by nine members of Kuki Zo Council, Hmar INPUI, Committee for Tribal Unity and Zomi Council. Meitei outfit COCOMI, however, rejected the talks as a “sham”. In a statement issued Saturday, COCOMI said: “The peace initiative is a hollow exercise designed solely for political optics”.
Sources said the meeting was focused on rebuilding trust and cooperation between Meiteis and Kukis and finding a roadmap to restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur. The purpose is also to open up road blockades that have affected normal life as well as economy of the state.
The talks come against the backdrop of Amit Shah’s disclosure in Parliament earlier this week that two rounds of talks between Meiteis and Kukis had already been conducted by home ministry, with a third one expected soon.
