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United National Liberation Front

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 9 min
This article is about a separatist group in Manipur, India. For the Paraguayan resistance group, see United National Liberation Front (Paraguay).
Not to be confused with Unitary National Liberation Front, a World War II political organization from the former Yugoslavia.

United National Liberation Front of Manipur
AbbreviationUNLF
Founded24 November 1964; 59 years ago (1964-11-24)
FounderArambam Somorendra[1]
TypeArmed Independence Group
Legal statusBanned by the Government of India
PurposeSovereignty of Manipur
HeadquartersManipur
Membership
2,000 armed cadres (2005) 10,000 Armed cadres 2023
Chairperson
Arambam Somorendra †
(1964-2000)
RK Meghen
(2000-2010)
Lanjingba Khundongbam
(2010-2023)
Main organ
Ningtam Meira (journal)

The United National Liberation Front (UNLF), also known as the United National Liberation Front of Manipur,[2][3][4] is a separatist insurgent group active in the state of Manipur in Northeast India which aims at establishing a sovereign and socialist Manipur.

Background

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The United National Liberation Front's movement manifested as a result of several similar movements of the same political agenda. The outfit was founded on 24 November 1964[3] with the following key personalities as its central committee members:

  1. Kalalung Kamei, President
  2. Thankhopao Singsit, Vice-President
  3. Arambam Samarendra, General Secretary
  4. Longjam Manimohan, Member
  5. Laishram Kanhai, Member
  6. Nongmeikapam Sanajaoba, Member
  7. Nongmaithem Pahari, Member

Ideology and Aim

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UNLF have nothing to demand from the Government of India but instead it is fighting to regain the lost sovereignty [of Manipur].

UNLF[5]

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in September 2012, acknowledged that "the activities carried out by the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) are for bringing sovereignty in the state of Manipur." The UNLF has viewed the statement as "a big political victory."[5]

The UNLF chairperson, R. K. Meghan alias Sanayaima, has been charged for "waging war" against India by the NIA, but the UNLF leader has voiced that the UNLF does not view India or its army as enemies, and "the UNLF only resist the Indian armed forces stationed in Manipur and to resist those people who engaged in colonial repression."[5]

Sana Yaima believes that Manipur is "under martial law," and has questioned the character and worthiness of the elections that had been held in Manipur. He further believes that "the most democratic means to resolve conflict is plebiscite."[5]

Organization

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The UNLF is one of the oldest insurgent organizations in Northeast India. E. N. Rammohan, the former Director-General of the Border Security Force, once wrote, "Of the five major (Imphal) valley underground groups, the UNLF's ideology is by and large intact. The senior leadership is well educated and has good organizational control."[3]

Manipur People's Army
Dates of operation24 November 1964 – present
(armed since 1990)
HeadquartersManipur
Active regionsNortheast India
IdeologyManipuri nationalism[6]
Socialism[7]
Separatism
Size2,000
OpponentsIndia India[8]
Myanmar Myanmar
Battles and warsInsurgency in Northeast India

Manipur People's Army

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Manipur People's Army (MPA) was formed on 9 February 1987 as an Army Wing of UNLF. In 1991, the UNLF picked up arms, and its first armed action against IOF[clarification needed] was carried out on 15 December 1991 at Lamdan on a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In 2005, the MPA's strength was estimated to be about 2,000 armed cadres.[3] According to the UNLF, by 2005, the UNLF was engaged in a battle against about 50,000 armed personnel from the Indian Army deployed against the organisation in the forest regions of Manipur.[9] The cadres of the group are drawn largely from the Meiteis and the Pangals.

Strategy and Tactics

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The UNLF is known to be heavily involved with Extortion, Arms Trading, and Income Generating Projects to finance their armed movements.[citation needed] They have several organized training camps within the northeast sector of India and the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh.[citation needed] Ningtam Meira is the primary media outlet they use to make publications.

Four–point proposal to Indian government

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The UNLF had put forward four condiciones sine quibus non before the government of India if it is willing to initiate dialogue and ink a peace accord with the organisation, which are:[9]

  1. "A plebiscite under UN supervision to elicit the people's opinion on the core issue of restoration of Manipur's independence."
  2. "Deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Manipur to ensure free and fair process."
  3. "Surrender of arms by the UNLF to the UN force, matched by the withdrawal of Indian troops."
  4. "Handing over of political power by the UN in accordance with the results of the plebiscite."

Arrest of chairperson

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On 4 December 2010, Sanayaima was produced by the NIA, who claimed to have arrested Sanayaima from Motihari in Bihar; while, Sanayaima has proclaimed that he was abducted by the Bangladeshi agencies on 29 September 2010 and "handed over" to the agencies of India. Sanayaima has been booked by the NIA for "waging war against the Indian Union under section 120 (B) IPC, 121, 121 (A), 122 IPC and 16, 17, 18, 18 (A), 18 (B) & 20 Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 as amended in 2008."[10] After the arrest, he said that "in a multi-community region, the idea of peace cannot be achieved without considering the collateral damages of the secondary conflict that emerges out of the meaningless peace process."[11]

The Indian government ploy in the so called peace process in 'Western South East Asia' (WESIA) [Indian northeast region] is aimed at transforming the conflict between the peoples of the region with the government of India into a conflict between the peoples on ethnic lines.

— Sanayaima, in 2012[11]

Drawing inspiration from the "charged political atmosphere" during the "Naxalbari uprising", he had dropped out of the higher studies at the Jadavpur University in Kolkata, and "picked up a gun and vanished into the forest" about 4 decades ago; and had remained underground since then.[3]

Controversies

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Civil rights activist Babloo Loitongbom, said that "there was an allegation that certain members of the UNLF had raped 20 women. We formed a multi-ethnic fact finding team to go to the place. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go inside the camp, we were not given any medical evidence."[12]

Peace Talk

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On 29 November 2023, the Pambei faction of UNLF signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India. The agreement was claimed as being "historic" as the UNLF is the first Meitei insurgent organization to sign such an agreement.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Arambam, Lokendra (2000). "Arambam Somorendra (12 July 1935—10 June 2000)". Indian Literature. 44 (4 (198)): 102–105. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23343284.
  2. ^ Prabhakara, M. S. (2007). "Separatist Movements in the North-East: Rhetoric and Reality". Economic and Political Weekly. 42 (9): 728–730. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4419298. Perhaps the oldest of this kind engaged in armed struggle in Manipur is the United National Liberation Front, though similar aspirations for the restoration or winning back through armed struggle of Manipur's lost sovereignty("the undemocratic and inequitable Merger agreement of October 15, 1949")..
  3. ^ a b c d e Nitin A. Gokhale (1 October 2005). "A life roughed–out in the jungle". Hong Kong: Tehelka. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Explained: Historic Manipur Peace Deal With UNLF, Oldest Valley Armed Group". NDTV. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "UNLF activities are for bringing sovereignty in Manipur". Imphal Free Press. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  6. ^ "United National Liberation Front". Hindustan Times. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  7. ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. ^ "NIA :: Banned Terrorist Organisations". Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b Nitin A. Gokhale (1 October 2005). "Want peace? travel the roads not taken". Tehelka. Hong Kong. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  10. ^ "Sanayaima to be produced in court". Imphal Free Press. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  11. ^ a b "India transforming conflict on ethnic lines". Imphal Free Press. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  12. ^ ""If you go hunting, be ready to meet the tiger" — Human rights activist and scholar, BablooLoitongbam". BarandBench.
  13. ^ Centre signs peace deal with UNLF, oldest insurgent group in the northeast, Neeraj Chauhan, November 29, 2023, The Hindustan Times Archived November 30, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
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