Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) has welcomed the decision of Niki Sumi-led NSCN to have a ceasefire with Government of India and return to the peace process.
Recalling how their peace team had reached out several times to them in Myanmar over the years for cessation of hostilities and come forward for peaceful negotiations, the association’s president Abei-ü Meru and secretary Lochumbeni Humtsoe in a statement said they believed that the return of Sumi would strengthen the peace process.
They admitted that it would not have been an easy decision but they said this would also lighten the burden of families and children harassed on many occasions by government agencies. They also appealed Cenrte to withdraw the bounty on Sumi and ban on his organisation for bringing an enduring peace and a fruitful negotiation.
Meanwhile, claiming that it had been dedicated peacemakers and peace builders in Naga areas and reached out to all NPGs and that the call for no more killings, “Shed No More Blood,” had been its slogan for bring peace into “our shattered land”, NMA also questioned the statement of NNPGs in December 2020, branding civil society organisations, including NMA, as being tutored by NSCN (I-M).
The association said Naga women have been courageous, standing up and questioning incidents of violence as well as meeting all NPGs in an effort to bring an inclusive peace. It added that generations of Naga women have contributed to nation building and Naga cause. Mentioning that it had a clear stand on Naga rights and history and that the need for peace had been an integral part of its initiatives, NMA questioned what kind of nation “we are going to have”, if women’s contribution towards bringing peace was not respected.
“The Naga nation belongs to all of us and, as Nagas by blood, we have risked our lives for years, searching for peace amongst our armed brothers as well as reaching out to the highest Indian authorities to bring an inclusive peace,” the statement asserted. NMA prayed that the New Year would usher in goodwill and peace amongst all those who profess and yearn for true peace. “Let God touch the hearts and minds of all Naga leaders to be united in ensuring we stand on the truth of our history and bring just peace and an equitable world for our children,” NMA said.