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), Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).

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.

Violence over the Western South East Asia region, which encompasses large parts of northeast India and parts of Myanmar, has declined in recent years. 2018 was the last active year recorded in this conflict, although sporadic clashes continued.