Kohima, Feb. 29: Ceasefire monitoring group chairman Lt Gen. R.V. Kulkarni will take stock of the tension between the two NSCN factions ?on the spot?. The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak Nagas dominating Mon district, had given an ?ultimatum? to the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) last month. They alleged the group was harassing civilians in Tizit area.
Kulkarni said the area is tense also due to the spate of defections from the Khaplang group to the NSCN (I-M). ?That is one of the reasons for greater rivalry,? he said.
The area has been a flashpoint between the two factions for the last several months. Last year, several Khaplang group cadre were killed in a village allegedly by NSCN (I-M) activists.
For the past few months, the Sumi Hoho and the Konyak Union have been trying to reconcile differences between the groups. However, the joint tribes? tribunal has warned this might be the last ditch attempt to bring about unity among the warring factions. After a meeting in January, the KU had asked the NSCN (I-M) activists to vacate from the area before January 15. Failing that, the union was to approach the ceasefire monitoring group chairman.
The outfit?s Shongshan battalion is camping on the Arunachal Pradesh-Nagaland boundary in Tizit area, sources said. Konyak Union has asked for security of the people in the area. Reconciliation efforts by NGOs as well as the church have been going through a rough patch of late.
Both the church and the Naga National Council (Panger) had wanted to be a ?bridge? between the rival factions, but was snubbed by the NSCN (I-M). The Konyak Union has proposed a meeting between top leaders of the two groups to facilitate a possible merger.