UCDP

General information

Part of Conflict: Myanmar (Burma): Nagaland

Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1988-04-30
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) was created when S.S. Khaplang, the Vice President of NSCN, tried to take over the leadership of the NSCN by force on 30 April 1988. The breakaway faction was mainly formed by soldiers of the Konyak tribe and other Nagas from eastern Nagaland (the territory of Burma). Khaplang himself belonged to the Burmese Hemi Naga tribe.

In the months leading up to the attack on the NSCN Council headquarters, S.S. Khaplang accused the General Secretary T.H. Muviah and Chairman Isak Chisi Swu of betraying the Naga struggle on eight accounts. Apart from alleged meetings with and financial rewards from the Indian government, the following political issues were brought forward: a) Muviah and Swu had agreed to negotiations with India concerning a settlement “within the framework of the Indian Constitution” and thus reneged on the sovereignty demand; b) Muivah was planning to “eliminate” the NSCN members of the Konyak and Pangmi tribes to surrender their arms to India; and c) Muivah was plotting to oust Khaplang from his Vice-Chairmanship.

The original manifesto of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland was issued in 1980 and remains the basic statement of the incompatibility. The "Solemn Declaration of the Existence of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN)", issued on 31 January 1980, declares the "unquestionable sovereign right of the Naga people over every inch of Naga territory", and advocates the "dictatorship of the people" within a socialist state of Nagaland. Furthermore, the armed struggle for a free Nagaland is said to be undertaken in the name of God; "Nagaland for Christ". The manifesto is signed by General Secretary T.H Muviah, Chairman Isak Chisi Swu and Vice President S.S Khaplang. On 2 February 1980, the NSCN declared themselves the "Government of the People's Republic of Nagaland."

The NSCN was the formal breakaway by Khaplang, Muviah and Swu from the organisational ranks of the NNC (Naga National Council) which had previously been active in the conflict. Following the 1975 Shillong Accord in which remaining underground NNC leaders agreed to stop fighting, some hardcore militants met in August 1978 and denounced the NNC policy and leadership of Angami Phizo. In March 1979, Khaplang had been elected president of the "NNC Federal government" by a "national assembly" held in Laimang.

In the mid-1980s, relations between different ethnic tribes within the NSCN had become increasingly tense. The main dividing line was between the western Naga tribes from the Indian side of the border and their eastern relatives in Burma. The incorporation of the latter into the rebel movement had been manufactured in part through the use of force against isolated tribes, some who remained head-hunting animists until 1978. Generally, the western tribes were more prominent in the leading positions of NSCN while the eastern tribes became foot soldiers.

The NSCN-K has repeatedly stated that their ambition is a sovereign Naga state and refuses to discuss any solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution. Since the territory identified as “Nagaland” by the NSCN includes part of Myanmar the incompatibility concerns both India and Myanmar. The General Secretary of NSCN-K, Kitovi Zhimomi, declared in 2001 that the two million Nagas living in Myanmar territory would be brought into the Naga State “after solving the problem of integrating Indian Nagas into one state.” "There can be no rest till all Naga inhabited areas are integrated under one administrative umbrella," he also stated that the Naga rebels would continue their campaign against Myanmar (Burma) until they reached an agreement with the military junta.

Date of first use of armed force: 1991-12-31
Comment on date of first use of armed force: In December 1991 Myanmar launched an offensive against seven NSCN-K bases. Within one week two transit camps fell.
First Battle Related Death: 1991-12-01
Comment on First Battle Related Death: In December 1991 Myanmar launched an offensive against seven NSCN-K bases. According to Indian military sources more than 150 people were killed in December's fighting, including 50 Myanmari soldiers.

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1991-12-31
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: In December 1991 Myanmar launched an offensive against seven NSCN-K bases. According to Indian military sources more than 150 people were killed in December's fighting, including 50 Myanmari soldiers.

Conflict issues

Conflict Goal Issues: The National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Khaplang (NSCN-K) split from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) after Khaplang accused the other two leaders of NSCN Muviah and Swu of attempting to reach an agreement with the Government of India in 1988. While the NSCN-IM fought with the Government of India, the NSCN-K mainly fought with the Government of Myanmar (Burma). The year after the split, the group pronounced its first conflict goal issue of independence.

The call for independence remained the consistent from 1989 to 2004. In 2000, the group alongside NSCN-IM the opposed elections in Manipur. The following year, while it called for democracy and public services for Nagas in Myanmar (Burma) it also called for movement restrictions and a ban on interethnic marriages for “Bangladeshi immigrants”. Later NSCN-K sought cultural protection from the state for Nagas. In 2005 and 2007 the attention turned to alleged natural resources exploitation in their region.

The main conflict goal issue seems to have been independence. It was the most frequent issue that also persisted from the group’s conception to 2004. Calls for public services, natural resources, and against elections were all only coded twice each.

Conflict Dynamics Issues: The first coded conflict dynamic issue pronounced by NSCN-K was for the “Indian occupational forces” to be withdrawn from Nagaland. It also called for India to lift its designation of the group as a terrorist organization. In connection with the calls against the “Bangladeshi immigrants”, the group also called for them to “wiped out from Nagaland if we are to preserve our ethnic identity”. The call for targeting of groups also occurred in 2003, when it threatened to kill legislators if they entered Nagaland. The following year it accused the Government of Myanmar (Burma) of perpetrating abuses against civilians. In 2006 and 2007 the NSCN-K demanded that NSCN-IM should be designated as a terror organization. It also called for the Government of India to stop its military support to Government of Myanmar (Burma).

No issues were consistent over time but were instead clustered around certain periods. The calls for sanctions to placed upon NSCN-IM and accusations of abuses were both the most frequent issues, coded twice.

Conflict Resolution Issues: The first coded conflict resolution issue was opposition to the peace agreement that S. S. Khaplang suspected NSCN-IM of attempting to reach in 1988 when the groups split. The second was voiced in 1996, when it called for negotiations. And, like NSCN-IM it demanded that the negotiations should be held at a higher level in order to be able to negotiate a solution. In 1998, opposed negotiations between NSCN-IM and the Government of India stating that “[i]f the Indian government ends up talking to just one faction, it will be a very foolish plan.” In 2000, the group called for a ceasefire.

Calls for negotiations and opposition to peace agreements were both coded four times, compared to three times each for the rest. In terms of persistence, calls for negotiations was first coded 1996 and last 2004, and opposition to peace agreements first in 1988 and last in 2006 with a gap during the 1990s. Given that S. S. Khaplang himself stated that attempts to reach a peace agreement was the reason for the split, coupled with the repeated opposition to solutions built on negotiations with only NSCN-IM, the main conflict resolution issue seems to opposition to peace agreement.

Type of conflict issues: Sources/Reference box: The 19th Republic Day (Khaplang). (1998, March 23). Manipur Express. Imphal. Accessed [26 October 2021]: https://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199803/msg00005.html UCDP Backend: Dyad Basic Info: Government of India – NSCN-IM NSCN-IM, NSCN-K not to participate in Manipur polls. (2000, January 29). Press Trust of India.’ Christian group in Nagaland threatens Bangladeshi immigrants. (2001, January 23). Agence France-Presse. Nagaland rebel movement to continue offensive. (1998, April 29). BBC Monitoring Service: Asia-Pacific. Militant organisation bans crude exploration in Nagaland. (2006, September 24). Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times Limited. NSCN-K threatens Canoro, ONGC operations in Nagaland. (2007, September 26). Indo-Asian News Service. HT Media Limited. Talking Terms In Nagaland. (1998, September 24). The Times of India.

Annual information

This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.