The peace talks between the Centre and the NSCN(I-M) on Wednesday, being held after the indefinite extension of ceasefire on July 31, will not include NSCN(I-M) chairman Isak Chisi Swu and may mark the end of general secretary Thuigaleng Muivah’s current stay in India.

According to senior NSCN(I-M) functionaries and Intelligence sources, Swu has already quietly exited the country, and Muivah’s stay will depend on the outcome of the talks on Wednesday in New Delhi. Muivah is currently in the national capital accompanied by other leaders.

Both the NSCN(I-M) leaders have been staying at the outfit’s Camp Hebron headquarters in Dimapur since last December. During this period, there have been at least three meetings, including delegation-level talks between the Centre’s interlocutors and the rebel leadership, both at Dimapur and New Delhi. In the first round of talks held after Muivah’s return on March 4, the Centre significantly ruled out any role for Dutch conflict resolution agency NGO Kreddha International, which had been brought in by the NSCN(I-M) as a consultant and a neutral mediator.

Although that round of talks proved inconclusive, the groundwork had been done for the indefinite extension of ceasefire, which meant all future talks would be concentrated on resolution only. However, opposition by the Assam Rifles (AR) to an unauthorised NSCN(I-M) camp in Zunheboto district led to last week’s special meeting of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group (CFMG). The Naga outfit’s leaders complained about the “high-handed” attitude of the AR and threatened to abrogate the ceasefire.

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