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WOMEN FOR PEACE IN NAGALIM http://www.kuknalim.net/features/featureAugust2001item11.html By Shimreichon Luithui To the great relief of the civil society, both the Indians and the Nagas, the cease-fire agreement between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim- Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM)2 has been extended for another year from August 1, 2000. In 1997, the Indian Government took a path breaking decision to enter into negotiation with the NSCN- IM, the leading Naga national resistance movement. This announcement was followed by a cease-fire agreement between the two on August 1, 1997.The announcement of Indo-Naga peace talks in the Indian Parliament after 50 years of bloody war was supported by all the political parties. The Nagas received it with optimism and hope and used the opportunity of peace to express their strong support for the national resistance movement through public meetings and consultations. Nagas are a mongoloid people, numbering about 3 millions with more than 40 tribes. They speak closely related languages of the tibeto-burman language family. The Nagas live in the mountains of the Patkai Range between India and Burma. Most of them are subsistence farmers with rice as their main crop. About one third of their land came under the British in 1879, the remaining two thirds were then designated as 'no man's land'. After the British left Nagalim was divided between India and Burma. The three years of cease-fire has allowed the Naga civil society to come out in the open to actively participate in the discussion on Naga political issue and engage in a dialogue with groups of the national movement. The Naga women, represented by the Naga Mothers Association (NMA) in Nagaland State and the Naga Womens Union Manipur (NWUM) in Manipur State have joined in the effort for consolidation of peace in Nagalim. These two women´s organisations have been working on humen rights issues, on afforestation and conservation, on empowerment of women, against construction of the multi-purpose Tipaimukh high dam, on alcoholism and drug addiction. The NMA president has received the Padma Shri Award, a very prestigious award for outstanding social work, from the Indian Government, this year in recognition of her work. Already before the cease-fire the two organisations have been working with other leading Naga organisations such as the Naga Hoho Summit (federation of traditional tribal councils),the United Naga Council, the Naga Students Federation(NSF), All Naga Students Union-Manipur, the Council of Churches and Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights(NPMHR), to reduce the violence and brutalisation of Naga society. These were mainly caused by the Indian security forces and partly by factional fighting . Since the beginning of the peace talks, the two women´s organisations have become deeply involved in the peace process. Their activities connected with the peace process have been focussing on three areas: peace and reconciliation; participation in capacity building, and the "peoples to peoples dialogue" with the Indian civil society. Peace and Reconciliation As a consequence of 50 years of struggle against the Indian State, thousands of human lives have been lost and Naga society has been left battered and desolated. But their will to continue to fight for their right to self-determination is still intact. The Indian state has employed a "carrot and stick" and a "divide and rule" policy to suppress the aspirations of the Nagas. It succeeded in creating divisions in the national movement and the society as a whole. Today, the Naga resistance movement is divided into three groups or factions: the NSCN- IM :having the broadest support base among the Naga people; NSCN-K - some of whom are alleged to be working in tandem with the Nagaland State Chief Minister, S.C.Jamir, who is known to be co-opted by the Indian State; and the remains of the once leading, but now severely weakened- the Naga National Council (NNC). One of the major problems facing the Nagas internally are the factional fighting between NSCN-K and NSCN- IM, often fanned by vested interests. The NMA and the NWUM have been working relentlessly towards reconciliation and unification of these groups. In this effort as on many other issues facing the Naga society they are working closely with the other Naga organisations mentioned above. The NMA and the NWUM have taken every effort and have travelled far and wide to meet all the groups and factions. For instance, in the early days of cease-f ire they walked for days to the Eastern Nagalim, in Burma, to meet the NSCN-K leader Khaplang. They had free and frank discussions with him, appealed to him for reconciliation with the other groups towards finding a lasting solution to the Naga political problems. They also participated in the consultation with NSCN-IM leaders and the civil society in Dimapur, Nagalim, last year. And two representatives of the NWUM met with the NNC leader Adino Phizo and her brother who is adviser to NNC, in London last year. They had long discussions with them and also appealed to them to help bring the different groups and factions together. Even though it has been difficult, the two organisations have managed to establish contact with all the factions and hold discussions and dialogues with them regularly. It helps to clear up potential misunderstandings between them and the civil society and above all the different factions. The NMA and the NWUM have succeeded in bringing together some of the leaders of these factions to informal meetings. The women´s intervention helped much to reduce tensions and violence in the society. The women activists have also had informal dialogues with the "overground" Naga politicians who out of personal interest and opportunism, have to a large extent contributed to the division in the Naga society. Keeping the channel open at every level, creating space for dialogue among different groups with differing opinions is a crucial factor for healing and enhancing peace in the society. And Naga women are indeed playing this role very effectively. As part of India´s strategy to weaken the Naga national struggle, a section of the Kuki people living in parts of Manipur were used by the Indian security forces to fight the Nagas. This has led to the outbreak of heavy inter-ethnic violence. As a result, hundreds of Naga and Kuki houses were burnt between 1992 and 1996. Both communities lost hundreds of lives. Many villages were uprooted causing so much human tragedy and many villagers are still in the refugee camps. Major clashes have stopped but tensions between the two communities still remain. At the height of Naga-Kuki clash, the NWUM had initiated a peace campaign to resolve the conflict between the two communities, through dialogue and mutual understanding. Women came forward to build a bridge between the two communities when it was impossible for men to do so. The NWUM and the Kuki women continue to try and find ways to work together for bringing peace and normal relationship between the two peoples. Already in traditional Naga society, women have acted as arbitrators in times of conflict. Women played the role of a peace maker for instance in pitch battle between their natal village and the village they have married into. Holding up a long Y shaped stick they could enter the battlefield and stop the war. Since they were related to both the parties by blood and through marriage, neither side could harm them. The NMA and the NWUM are somehow continuing this tradition with new means. Though it is difficult to see tangible results, the women activists feel that there is positive change and to some extent there is better understanding among the Nagas. At least, since the cease-fire, fratricidal killing among the Nagas has been much less. This can be attributed to people having more space to discuss and clarify and less room for the vested interests to play their game. And there is the strong pressure by the civil society to revert back to violence. In the present situation where all kinds of conflicting views are kept floating around by vested interests, women enjoying trust from all sides are playing a very crucial role in furthering dialogue and mutual understanding and therefore to bring peace to the society. Participation in Capacity Building The NMA and the NWUM have been participating in several worshops and training programmes on peace and capacity building so that they can positively impact on the on going Indo-Naga peace talks. At the same time, the NWUM has conducted several small worshops at the village level on methods of democratic participation in the peace process and the villagers have responded very enthusiastically. It has been learned from the past experience that to keep the peace talks on track and to bring about a workable solution the broadest possible acceptance and support of the people is necessary. Therefore, it is important to secure the active participation of the people. A well-informed civil society has to stand behind the leaders who are sitting at the negotiation table. So the worshops on capacity building is very relevant. The Naga leaders on their part have responded very positively to the increasing engagement of the civil society. Extensive consultations took place in 1999 and such consultations with the civil society to address the issue of difference of opinions and clarification are continuing. In this context, the Consultative Body, consisting of tribal councils and some NGOs, set up by the Naga civil society and the NSCN-IM in May last year is very important. It will hopefully be developed into a mechanism for effective participation of the civil society in the negotiation process. The participation of the NMA and the NWUM in training to improve their capacities is also part of an empowerment process, to ensure that the women´s views and positions are taken into account in the discussions on the future of Naga society. Women, out of concern, had worked relentlessly for peace and for the creation of a better society. And because of their consistency and the crucial role they play, they have gained much respect. However, they will have to make sure that this respect is being translated into a lasting recognition of their role in politics and that their participation on all levels of political decision-making is guaranteed, especially once lasting peace is achieved. For example, Naga women still do not have a place in the village council and tribal Hoho (council). While many Naga men still need to be educated with respect to gender equality in the society, many women still need encouragement to assert their rights. Naga women are as educated and skilled as the men, but they often simply lack the self-confidence to take active part in the discussions and decision-making processes that are so crucial for the future of their communities, and the Naga society as a whole. "Peoples-to-Peoples Dialogue" with the Indian Civil Society: There is strong feeling among the Naga civil society that for a successful outcome of the Indo-Naga peace talks, fostering better understanding and mutual respect between the Indian and Naga civil society is much needed. So far, Nagas have interacted mostly with the Indian Government and there has been too much distortion and misunderstanding about the Indo- Naga political problem in the public. A direct "peoples-to-peoples dialogue" in which representatives of the civil society are given the chance to explain to each other their situations, views, hopes and concerns was therefore initiated. This, it is hoped, could help mend the turbulent relationship and contribute to finding an acceptable way to resolve the conflict between the two countries. For that, the NPMHR together with the leading Naga organisations has decided to organise "Journeys of Conscience" to some of the main cities of India. Both the NMA and the NWUM are active participants in this initiative. The first journey with a Naga delegation of 66 members was made to Delhi in January this year. The delegates had interactive consultations with the Delhi based civil and democratic rights organisations along with eminent intellectuals. They also had separate meetings with the Naga students who are studying in Delhi. The journey in Delhi was concluded with a successful Peace March to Gandhi Samidhi Rajghat, where the mortal remains of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of India were interred. The Nagas were joined by representatives of many Indian organisations including the students. This homage to Mahatma Gandhi was symbolic because Gandhi understood and recognised the rights and aspirations of the Nagas. The Nagas want to build relationship with India based on this promise. The Indian civil society has welcomed the initiative taken by the Naga civil society. The response in Delhi was very good. In the meantime, some of the Indian organisations had invited leading Naga organisations including the NMA and the NWUM for consultations. The women activists found such consultations very useful, moving in the right direction to building better understanding and mutual respect between the two peoples. Initiatives by Indians in support of the peace process now continue at different levels. Intellectuals in Delhi and three former Prime Ministers of India have sent letters to the Government of India in which they urged the Government to maintain the cease-fire and resume the peace talks in a constructive and meaningful manner. They also appealed to the Government of India to approach the Government of Thailand with the request to release NSCN leader Th.Muivah, who has been imprisoned in Thailand. Muivah, the leader of the Naga peace negatiation team, was arrested by the Thai authorities in January this year for travelling on a false passport. The Naga civil society together with intellectuals, politicians, human rights activists from India and Thailand and from other countries have met twice in Bangkok since July this year to express their support to Muivah and to discuss issues related to the peace process. The NMA and the NWUM participated as well. These meetings were extremely constructive, and they mark the beginning of a close and potentially very frutiful co-operation between the Indian and Naga civil society. This co-operation and the active role the Naga women play today may ultimately prove decisive for bringing about lasting peace to the Nagas. Notes: 1. The Nagas have started using the word `Nagalim´ in place of `Nagaland´ since 1997.`Lim´simply means `land ´in Ao Naga language. When Nagas refer to Nagalim they mean the entire area inhabited by Nagas in the same way they had used the word `Nagaland´, which have been partitioned by the British between India and Burma. The Indian Union created a State in 1963, named Nagaland comprising of only one third of the land inhabited by Nagas. 2. The NSCN had split in 1988 into two factions- NSCN- K under the leadership of Khaplang and NCSN- IM under the leadership of Isak and Muivah. (This article was written for the September 2000 issue (special issue on women) of Indigenous Affairs, a quarterly journal being brought out by IWGIA ). |
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