SUMMARY
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang faction (NSCN-K) is a Naga insurgent group fighting the Government of India for an independent Nagaland in North Eastern India. NSCN-K traces its history to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), a radical insurgency group formed on 31 January 1980 by about 140 members of the Naga National Council rejecting the 1975 Shillong Peace Agreement with the Government of India. On 30 April 1988, NSCN broke into two separate (and rival) groups, one led by Isaac Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah (and known as National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isaac-Muivah (NSCN-IM)) and the other, led by S. Khaplang (NSCN-K). The split occured both because of clan rivalries (NSCN-K, formed by mainly rank-and-file members of the NSCN, being dominated by members of the Konyak tribe, while NSCN-IM, being dominated by Tangkhul members, and preserving most of the command structures of NSCN), as well as due to different visions regarding the future of the insurgency. Less militant and weaker than NSCN-IM, NSCN-K has less of a presence in Nagaland, as most of the group’s camps are in the Western region of Myanmar (Burma). Recent actions by the Burmese authorities have, however, significantly weakened the group. There is further evidence that some NSCN-K camps exist in Bangladesh.
NSCN-K has significant connections to the United National Liberation Front of Manipur (UNLF), and some connections (that could be described as a loose alliance) with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). These connections were stronger in the 1990s, when an umbrella organization, the Indo-Burma Liberation/Revolutionary Front (IBLF/IBRF) was established by the three. There are allegations of NSCN-K connections with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, but these are not reported outside Indian sources. NSCN-K also has connections to NSCN-Unity (NSCN-U), a splinter group of NSCN-IM that got formed on 23 November 2007 after a failed attempt at uniting NSCN-K and NSCN-IM. The Government of India interacted less with NSCN-K than with NSCN-IM, due, in part, to its lower levels of activity, resulting in far less battle-related deaths as well as due to the more reduced presence of NSCN-K in Nagaland. A cease-fire between the Government of India and NSCN-K was signed in 2000, but is weakly enforced.
In addition to the leadership of S. Khaplang, the groups leadership was formed by a number of secretaries, including N Kitovi Zhimomi and Akaho Asumi. The leadership, together with most of the group is based in Myanmar’s Eastern Nagaland region. The group is reputedly less organized than NSCN-IM
On 17 April 2015 NSCN-K merged with several other armed groups from India’s northeast to form the UNLFW, fighting for the independence of what it referred to as "Western South East Asia". This territory incorporates the areas previously claimed separately by its constituent groups. With that, NSCN-K ceased to be a unique actor in UCDP data.
When S. Khaplang died in 2017, the prominence of the NSCN-K declined with him. While it had been considered the most active militant outfit in Nagaland during much of his leadership, it has acted only sporadically in recent years. After a brief period under the leadership of Khango Konyak, Khaplangs nephew Yung Aung took over power. The group is now also known as the NSCN-K-YA.
Yung Aung's leadership has seen the NSCN-K lose much of its influence. Factions within the militant group chose to surrender to the Indian government and join in peace talks. Furthermore, NSCN-K militants have been killed by Indian security forces. Nevertheless, the group retains camps in Myanmar and operates in the Indian states of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
