Tag: ConflictResolution

Peace on agenda, Govt holds talks with Kuki, Meitei leaders

A separate round of talks was also held with representatives of the Coordinating Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) with an IB official representing the Centre. COCOMI is a Meitei civil society organisation.

People wear black to protest against ethnic violence in Manipur, in Guwahati, Wednesday. (PTI)

The Centre on Wednesday held talks with representatives of Kuki groups from Manipur in order to defuse the ongoing crisis in the state. Sources said Centre’s points man for the Northeast, former additional director with the Intelligence Bureau Akshay Mishra had a meeting with representatives of Kuki militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government.

A separate round of talks was also held with representatives of the Coordinating Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) with an IB official representing the Centre. COCOMI is a Meitei civil society organisation.

COCOMI had on Tuesday issued a statement that the government must not talk to SoO groups as they are “responsible for the ongoing violence in the state”.

While talks with SoO groups have been going on for the past several months and a Kuki peace deal had even been nearly finalised before the state was thrown into turmoil beginning May, multiple rounds of talks have been held after the onset of violence in the state.

Sources said while the talks before the May violence were focused on finding a political solution to the issue of tribal self-determination, the current series of talks is largely focused on finding ways to end the ongoing violence in the state.

“It is not the right time to hold political talks. Right now the focus is to find ways to gradually tone down, if not immediately end, the violence in the state. Various ways are being discussed with the stakeholders. The Kuki demand for a separate administration is not being discussed at the moment,” a government source said.

The Home Ministry is also in constant touch with Manipur CM N Biren Singh to find a solution on the Meitei side. Sources said it was due to Singh’s intervention that a drive by security forces to dismantle bunkers in the fringe areas of the Valley did not face too much resistance from the Meiteis. The move was also supported by COCOMI, even though Kuki groups had vehemently opposed the decision, saying they would become defenceless against marauding mobs.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/peace-on-agenda-govt-holds-talks-with-kuki-meitei-leaders-8862279/

Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad agree Gaza truce

A truce between Israel and the militant Islamic Jihad group officially came into effect late on Saturday night, with an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement meant to end the worst episode of cross-border fire since a 10-day war in 2021.

As fighting tapered off, streets in Gaza that had largely been deserted filled with Palestinians. Some people cheered and honked car horns while others headed to the homes of people killed in the fighting to show their respect.

“In light of the agreement of the Palestinian and the Israeli side, Egypt announces a ceasefire between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides has been reached,” a text of the agreement seen by Reuters read.

“The two sides will abide by the ceasefire which will include an end to targeting civilians, house demolition, an end to targeting individuals immediately when the ceasefire goes into effect,” it said.

Israel’s national security adviser thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for Cairo’s efforts, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“Quiet will be met with quiet and if Israel will be attacked or threatened, it shall continue to do what it must in order to defend itself,” the statement said.

Islamic Jihad also confirmed the agreement. “We declare our acceptance of the Egyptian announcement and we will abide by it as long as the occupation (Israel) abides by it,” the group’s spokesman, Dawoud Shehab, said.

A man stands in a damaged building at the site of deadly Israeli raid in Balata camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre welcomed the ceasefire on Saturday night, joining the Israeli government in acknowledging Sisi’s and Egypt’s mediation efforts, and thanking Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Even as the truce was being finalised, the two sides kept up firing, with air raid sirens sounding as far as Tel Aviv’s suburbs and Israel’s military announcing it had hit Islamic Jihad targets in response to rocket fire.

Though happy about news of the truce, some Gaza residents, weary of repeated flare-ups, feared that another round of fighting would erupt before long. “We want the truce to be based on principles, not like in the past when after a calm (truce) people died,” said resident Munir Marouf, 43.

Israel launched the latest round of airstrikes in the early hours of Tuesday, announcing that it was targeting Islamic Jihad commanders who had planned attacks in Israel.

In response, the Iranian-backed group fired more than 1,000 rockets, sending Israelis fleeing into bomb shelters.

During the five days of the campaign, Israel killed six senior Islamic Jihad commanders and destroyed a number of military installations.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-gaza-palestinians-fire-rockets-truce-bid-lingers-2023-05-13/

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