GUWAHATI, APR 19: Amid ongoing Naga peace talks, senior NSCN-IM leader Ikato Swu announced his departure from the group on Friday, forming a new alliance with influential Myanmar-based Naga rebel leaders Absalom Raman and HS Ramsan.
In a statement, Ikato declared his decision to continue the “Naga struggle” independently, outside of the ongoing peace negotiations with the Indian government.
He criticized the current NSCN-IM leadership, particularly General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, accusing them of failing to uphold the true cause of the Naga movement.
Related Posts:
Expressing deep dissatisfaction, Ikato alleged that the organization had stagnated and strayed from its founding principles. He also accused the Government of India of betraying the Naga people by not implementing the 2015 Framework Agreement, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before the death of his father, NSCN-IM co-founder Isak Chishi Swu, in 2016.
Sources confirmed that Ikato has already left for Myanmar, accompanied by a group of NSCN-IM cadres. His move is seen as a significant development, given his seniority within the group and his lineage—being the son of the late Isak Chishi Swu, one of the original founders of NSCN-IM alongside Muivah. The NSCN-IM has been observing a ceasefire with the Government of India since 1997.
