Whatever emerges from Wangsa’s interrogation, his arrest has opened up a Pandora’s box, as this column indicated on 22-23 May (Arunachal ambush calls for speeding up Naga peace talks). This is despite I-M being in ceasefire since 1997 and engaging in peace talks with the government of India since August 2015. I-M, like several other rebel groups in the region, is no stranger to this phenomenon. As with other rebel groups, enforcement is part of I-M’s playbook. Delinking militancy-on-hire from expedient politics in Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland will be as crucial for peace as actually disarming rebels.

Source: Mint July 17, 2019 18:56 UTC