SUMMARY

On 17 April 2015 the leaders of four insurgent groups active in North-East India signed a joint declaration establishing the United National Liberation Front of Western South East India (UNLFW). These four groups were the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang Faction (NSCN-K), the Independent faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA-I), the Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) and the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-S). UNLFW's territorial claim, "Western South East Asia" incorporates the previous incompatibilities of its constituent groups. Shortly after the initial declaration, a number of other rebel outfits joined the group, including the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), PREPAK, the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) etc.

UNLFW was formed on the backdrop of a weakening North Eastern insurgency, with substantial fragmentation within the rebel groups whereas many of the resulting splinters abandoned fighting, signing various cease-fires with the government. Moreover, old-time rival of NSCN-K, the once-formidable Isaac-Muivah faction of NSCN (NSCN-IM), was, by early 2015, in the course of signing a permanent agreement with the Government of India, posing substantial doubts on the future of the North Eastern insurgencies. As such, consolidation became an important requirement for the groups' survival. Further, such consolidation was natural, as the groups shared training camps, membership and recruitment networks and material resources in the past.

Shortly after the formation of the group, UNLFW was involved in some of the heaviest fighting in the past 5 years. On 4 June 2014, in a highly planned and coordinated attack, UNLFW forces ambushed a convoy of Indian soldiers killing 18 and triggering a strong Indian response, resulting in as many as 100 UNLFW troops killed as the Indian army attacked a number of UNLFW camps inside Myanmar (Burma).