The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam said it will facilitate the return of about 1,000 Kuki-Zo people who have taken refuge in the Singhasan hills since violence spread in Manipur last year.
KAAC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang said meetings would be held with various stakeholders on the issue to facilitate the return of the Kuki-Zos who have arrived here.
“We are not going to evict them forcefully but will facilitate their return after discussions with various social and political organisations, including the Kuki community,” he said.
Ronghang said land rights will be given only to those who have been living in Karbi Anglong district since its establishment or are long-term permanent residents.
“Persons migrating from outside the district, especially those coming from Manipur, were not given land rights through our initiative to distribute land documents,” he said on the sidelines of a land rights distribution program in Japarajan area of Bokajan on Tuesday. Will go.”
A meeting has been called on November 28 to discuss the matter and “we hope to resolve the issue amicably,” he said.
Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts are governed by an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Both districts are home to the Karbi people, with the largest population among the hill tribes, the Kukis, the Hmars and the Thadaus.
The hills have seen extensive ethnic conflict between the Karbis and the Kukis in the past. In the late ’90s and early ’00s, the conflict escalated into frequent skirmishes between terrorist groups claiming to represent the two communities – the United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), As a result of which more than 100 people died. ,
Karbi militant organizations signed a peace deal with the government in 2021, ending violence.
The conflict between the Karbis and the Kukis has its roots in disputes over land, resources and political representation.
More than 250 people have been killed in ethnic clashes between the Kuki-Zos and Meitei communities in Manipur since May last year. Thousands of people have been displaced due to the violence that erupted over the Meitei community’s demand for tribal status and opposition from the tribal Kuki-Zo people.