SUMMARY
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Khole-Kitovi faction (NSCN-K-K) is a Naga insurgent group founded to promote the creation of an independent Nagaland in north-eastern India. Ultimately, NSCN-K-K traces its history to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), a radical insurgent group formed on 31 January 1980 by members of the Naga National Council who 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)), the second led by S. Khaplang (NSCN-K). In turn, the NSCN-K and NSCN-K-K split from one another on 7 June 2011 when Generals Khole Konyak and Kitovi Zhimomi, along with their backers, convened a meeting to impeach and expel S. Khaplang from the organization. Khaplang solidified the splitting of the organization by declaring the impeachment proceedings to be illegal and continuing to lead his many, loyal NSCN-K followers as a separate group.
The splitting of the NSCN-K occurred along ethnic and regional fault lines. Members of the Konyak tribe (an important block of the original NSCN-K membership based largely in Myanmar) mostly remained loyal to S. Khaplang. The remaining tribes, based largely within Indian borders, chose to support Khole and Kitovi. The leadership of NSCN-K-K differentiates itself from NSCN-K by choosing to drop S. Khaplang’s demand that sovereignty be granted to a Greater Nagaland composed of all Naga-inhabited regions (including areas in several Indian states and in Myanmar). The NSCN-K-K also differs with S. Khaplang in that it advocates reconciliation between all Naga insurgent groups (NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, and the NSCN-K-K), as well as the resolution of the Naga conflict via negotiations with the Indian federal government.
Kitovi remains the official head of NSCN-K-K, and holds the offices of Prime Minister and General Secretary. Khole also remains influential in the organization.
NSCN-K-K has only been formally involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence. As a major player in the Nagaland conflict, however, the group may potentially become involved in state-based violence, as well.
