Manipur Peace Negotiations and Highway Reopening Standoff: UPSC Current Affairs Story Arc

Overview

This arc documents a high-stakes attempt by the Union Home Ministry (MHA) to resolve the prolonged Manipur crisis through a renegotiated Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework. Starting in June 2025, the MHA sought to move Kuki-Zo militants out of sensitive 'fringe areas' and into supervised camps while ensuring financial transparency through direct bank transfers to cadres. While the MHA successfully renewed the SoO agreement on September 9 with strict conditions on territorial integrity, the momentum stalled a week later. The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) refused to reopen the vital NH-2, linking humanitarian access to a final political settlement with the Meitei community. This standoff highlights the friction between state-led security management and the deep-seated ethnic mistrust on the ground.

How This Story Evolved

MHA initiates talks with Kuki-Zo groups regarding SoO rules and highway access (June 10) → The SoO agreement is formally renewed with strict new conditions for Kuki militants (Sept 9) → The Kuki-Zo Council rescinds the agreement to reopen NH-2, citing the lack of a final political settlement (Sept 16)

1. 2025-06-10: Government and Kuki-Zo Groups Discuss Suspension of Operations (SoO) Rules
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Government and Kuki-Zo groups discuss Suspension of Operations (SoO) rules.

   Key Facts:

   • Union Home Ministry (MHA)
   • Kuki-Zo insurgent groups
   • Suspension of Operations (SoO)
   • national highways
   • surrender of weapons
   • two years
2. 2025-09-09: Manipur SoO Agreement Renegotiation
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Manipur SoO agreement renewed, requiring Kuki groups to uphold integrity.

   Key Facts:

   • SoO agreement renewed by MHA with Kuki militant groups (KNO and UPF)
   • Requires upholding Manipur's territorial integrity
   • Requires pursuing a negotiated political solution
   • Includes relocating camps from sensitive fringe areas
   • 14 Kuki militant camps in hills of Manipur will be consolidated
   • Weapons will be deposited with CRPF or BSF
   • Cadres will undergo strict physical verification
   • Identity cards will be issued and movements regulated
   • Foreign nationals will be removed from lists
   • Remuneration will be transferred directly to cadres' bank accounts
   • A Joint Monitoring Group will oversee enforcement
3. 2025-09-16: Manipur Highway Won't Reopen Without Meitei Agreement
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Not exam-relevant

   Key Facts:

   • Kuki-Zo Council (KZC)
   • National Highway-2
   • Meitei people
   • ethnic violence
   • May 2023

Genesis

Trigger

The MHA initiated formal talks with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups on June 10, 2025, to address the two-year deadlock over highway blockades and weapon surrenders.

Why Now

The talks were necessitated by the expiration of previous informal arrangements and the urgent need to restore supply lines (NH-2) which had been disrupted since the ethnic violence began in May 2023.

Historical Context

The SoO agreement was originally signed in 2008 between the Centre, the Manipur government, and Kuki-Zo groups (KNO and UPF) to stop hostilities, but became highly controversial following the 2023 ethnic clashes.

Key Turning Points

1. [2025-09-09] Formal renewal of the SoO agreement with strict new conditions.

   It signaled a shift from a 'lapsed' agreement to a regulated framework involving weapon audits and camp consolidation.

   Before: Camps were scattered and weapon storage was opaque. After: 14 camps consolidated with weapons kept under CRPF/BSF supervision.

2. [2025-09-16] Kuki-Zo Council rescinds agreement to reopen NH-2.

   It decoupled the security agreement (SoO) from the ground-level logistical reality (highway access).

   Before: Expectation of a normalized supply chain via NH-2. After: Renewed blockade and prolonged economic disruption for the state.

Key Actors and Institutions

Key Institutions

• Union Home Ministry (MHA)
• Kuki National Organisation (KNO)
• United People’s Front (UPF)
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
• Border Security Force (BSF)
• Kuki-Zo Council (KZC)

Key Concepts

Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement

A ceasefire arrangement where the government and insurgent groups agree to stop military operations provided cadres stay in designated camps and abide by ground rules.

Current Fact: The September 9, 2025 renewal specifically requires cadres to uphold Manipur's territorial integrity and deposit weapons with CRPF or BSF.

Fringe Areas

The sensitive buffer zones between the valley (Meitei dominated) and hills (Kuki-Zo dominated) where most 2023-2025 violence occurred.

Current Fact: The 2025 agreement mandated relocating 14 Kuki militant camps away from these fringe areas to consolidate them in the hills.

Cadre Remuneration via DBT

The practice of transferring government-provided stipends directly to the bank accounts of individual insurgent cadres to ensure transparency and accountability.

Current Fact: This provision was a 'key provision' in the September 9 renegotiation to ensure transparency in how funds are utilized.

What Happens Next

Current Status

As of September 16, 2025, the SoO agreement is technically in force, but the Kuki-Zo Council has officially rescinded its agreement to reopen National Highway-2, citing a lack of a political settlement with the Meiteis.

Likely Next

Possible intensification of security presence on NH-2 by central forces (CRPF/BSF) or a new round of tripartite talks including Meitei representatives to break the deadlock.

Wildcards

Outbreak of fresh violence in the 'fringe areas' where camps were supposed to be relocated, or a legal challenge to the SoO renewal in the Supreme Court by Meitei civil society groups.

Why UPSC Cares

Syllabus Topics

• Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security
• Linkages between development and spread of extremism
• Security challenges and their management in border areas

Essay Angles

• The paradox of peace: Why security agreements often fail to achieve social reconciliation
• Highways as the arteries of national integration and targets of ethnic leverage
• The role of transparency (DBT) in conflict resolution

Prelims Likely: Yes

Mains Likely: Yes

Trend Signal: perennial

Exam Intelligence

Previous Year Question Connections

• Challenges of insurgency, communalism, and caste violence in internal security. — This arc provides a modern case study on how these three forces—insurgency (SoO groups), communalism (Meitei-Kuki), and caste/ethnic violence—intersect to paralyze state infrastructure.

Prelims Angles

• The specific paramilitary forces (CRPF, BSF) tasked with guarding SoO weapon deposits.
• Geography of National Highway-2 (the primary route connecting Imphal to the rest of India via Nagaland).
• Key provisions of the 2025 SoO renegotiation: territorial integrity clause and consolidation of 14 camps.

Mains Preparation

Sample Question: Critically analyze the effectiveness of the 'Suspension of Operations' (SoO) framework as a tool for conflict resolution in Northeast India, with specific reference to the 2025 Manipur highway standoff.

Answer Structure: Intro: Define SoO and its role in Manipur. Body 1: Discuss the 2025 reforms (DBT, camp consolidation, weapon audits). Body 2: Analyze the limitations shown by the KZC blockade (decoupling of militant leaders from community councils). Critical Analysis: The gap between state-level security 'fixes' and ground-level ethnic mistrust. Way Forward: Integrated political-security-economic approach.

Essay Topic: Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice: The challenge of reconciliation in multi-ethnic societies.

Textbook Connections

Key Takeaway

The Manipur standoff proves that while the state can reform the mechanics of a ceasefire (through DBT and camp consolidation), it cannot enforce a peace settlement as long as ethnic councils hold geographic lifelines like NH-2 hostage to political demands.

All Events in This Story (3 items)

1. 2025-06-10 [Defense & Security] — Government and Kuki-Zo Groups Discuss Suspension of Operations (SoO) Rules
   Union Home Ministry officials met with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups to discuss changes in the ground rules of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, opening national highways, and surrendering weapons. The meeting occurred after two years.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Government and Kuki-Zo groups discuss Suspension of Operations (SoO) rules.

   Key Facts:

   • Union Home Ministry (MHA)
   • Kuki-Zo insurgent groups
   • Suspension of Operations (SoO)
   • national highways
   • surrender of weapons
   • two years
2. 2025-09-09 [Polity & Governance] — Manipur SoO Agreement Renegotiation
   The MHA renewed the SoO agreement, requiring Kuki militant groups under KNO and UPF to uphold Manipur's territorial integrity and pursue a negotiated political solution. Key provisions include relocating camps from sensitive fringe areas, consolidating smaller camps, and depositing weapons with CRPF or BSF. Remuneration will be transferred directly to cadres' bank accounts to ensure transparency.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Manipur SoO agreement renewed, requiring Kuki groups to uphold integrity.

   Key Facts:

   • SoO agreement renewed by MHA with Kuki militant groups (KNO and UPF)
   • Requires upholding Manipur's territorial integrity
   • Requires pursuing a negotiated political solution
   • Includes relocating camps from sensitive fringe areas
   • 14 Kuki militant camps in hills of Manipur will be consolidated
   • Weapons will be deposited with CRPF or BSF
   • Cadres will undergo strict physical verification
   • Identity cards will be issued and movements regulated
   • Foreign nationals will be removed from lists
   • Remuneration will be transferred directly to cadres' bank accounts
   • A Joint Monitoring Group will oversee enforcement
3. 2025-09-16 [Polity & Governance] — Manipur Highway Won't Reopen Without Meitei Agreement
   The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) rescinded its agreement with the Union Home Ministry to reopen National Highway-2, stating it will remain closed until a settlement is reached with the Meitei people. This decision prolongs the disruption caused by ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Not exam-relevant

   Key Facts:

   • Kuki-Zo Council (KZC)
   • National Highway-2
   • Meitei people
   • ethnic violence
   • May 2023