Imphal, Oct 21 (IANS) Hectic preparations are underway in Manipur’s Naga-inhabited Ukhrul and Senapati districts, with just a day to go for the long-awaited homecoming of NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah.

Nonagenarian Naga leader Muivah, also the Ato Kilonser (Prime Minister) of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), will visit his birthplace at Somdal village in Ukhrul district on October 22 for the first time in 50 years.

Preparations in Ukhrul town and his native village, Somdal, have reached their final stages.

An official in Ukhrul district said Muivah will arrive at the district headquarters on Wednesday by helicopter from Nagaland’s Dimapur and will be greeted by the Tangkhul Naga people in traditional and customary style.

After the programme at the Ukhrul district headquarters, he will proceed to his native village, Somdal, by road, the official added. The entire Tangkhul Naga community is abuzz with excitement as they prepare to welcome one of the most significant figures in Naga history back to his homeland after decades of struggle for the Naga cause.

Vice President of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) and Co-Convener of the Organising Committee, R.S. Jollyson, confirmed that all arrangements for the grand reception are nearly complete.

“The occasion marks not only the homecoming of a leader but also a homecoming of history, rekindling the collective spirit and unity of the Naga people,” he told the media.

According to the TNL leader, the grand event, scheduled for October 22, will include a public congregation at Ukhrul headquarters followed by a ceremonial welcome at Somdal village, Muivah’s birthplace.

Local Naga residents and various organisations have put up posters, erected decorated gates, and installed hoardings in different parts of Ukhrul and Senapati districts, including Somdal village, welcoming the nonagenarian NSCN-IM leader, who left his village more than five decades ago to join the insurgency for the Naga cause.

Officials said Muivah, who has been the chief negotiator in the Naga peace talks with the Union government since the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in 1997, is likely to stay in Somdal and Senapati districts for a few days before returning to Dimapur in Nagaland.

Muivah’s much-anticipated visit comes at a time when Manipur continues to recover from the ethnic violence between the non-tribal Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribal groups that erupted in May 2023.

More than 260 people from both communities have been killed, and around 70,000 displaced in the conflict. Widespread destruction of government and private properties, including religious establishments, has also been reported across 10 of Manipur’s 16 districts.

Following months of unrest, President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, four days after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned from his post.

Village authorities in Tangkhul Naga-majority areas, along with youth and student bodies, civil society organisations, and the influential church, are jointly taking all possible steps to ensure the success of the Naga leader’s visit.

The Tangkhul Naga are the largest Naga tribe in Manipur. Muivah’s proposed visit to the Ukhrul district in 2010 was opposed by certain quarters, but there has been no objection this time.

Born in 1934, Muivah’s name is synonymous with the contemporary Naga political movement, and he remains one of the most influential and powerful Naga leaders. Several organisations from the Kuki, Zomi, and Meitei communities in Manipur have also welcomed Muivah’s visit.

Of Manipur’s total 16 districts, the Naga-inhabited ones are Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul, Kamjong, Noney, and Senapati, all located along the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.

–IANS

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