NSCN (IM) revives call for ‘third-party guarantor’ for final political agreement’

October 6, 2026 11 Views No Comment

The Naga Republic News | October 5, 2026

Even as the Government of India has appointed former Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) Chief Ajit Lal as the next interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, the dispute surrounding the interpretation of the Framework Agreement signed in August 3, 2015 during the tenure of RN Ravi, has compelled the NSCN (IM) to call for a third-party guarantor for any final political agreement.

“In view of the betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, it is imperative for a third-party guarantor in the event of an honorable and acceptable political agreement”, stated a press statement issued by the External Publicity Wing (EPW), Alee (Foreign) Affairs. The statement reportedly issued on September 25, 2026 was accessed by The Naga Republic.

The idea of a third party is not a new development as the NSCN (IM) has been raising this issue for several years especially during the initial phase of the peace process. In an interview dated the year 2004, a senior ideologue of the group RH Raising had commented that “the mechanism of an external guarantor it is globally practiced that once you come to an agreement third parties are brought in to act as a guarantor so that the accord arrived at between two parties is implemented fully”.

In the interview to a leading Nagaland local daily, Raising however clarified that the NSCN (IM) had not yet come to that stage of the talks where this option could be discussed. While acknowledging the role of an ‘external guarantor’ which ‘may become necessary in later stages of the ongoing peace talks’, Raising had then disclosed that the NSCN (IM) was focused and convinced of a ‘solution through mutual consent of the two contending parties in bilateral talks’.

The NSCN (IM) position at that time could have been the result of growing confidence and trust between the negotiating parties in the immediate aftermath of the July 11, 2002, Amsterdam Joint communiqué, which officially recognized the “unique history and situation” of ‘Nagalim’.

However the NSCN (IM) has now renewed the demand for a ‘third-party guarantor’ as the misunderstanding and differences over the Framework Agreement have become elevated and more pronounced with the group insisting that a separate sovereign flag and constitution is ‘non-negotiable’.

The demand for a third party guarantor comes even as the NSCN (IM) welcomed the appointment of the new interlocutor for the Indo-Naga political talks, saying it reflected the renewed resolve to advance the peace process with seriousness and urgency. Besides a new Interlocutor, the Govt of India is reportedly working for the inclusion of a Union minister or a group of Union-level ministers in the negotiation framework.

The Nagaland government under Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio has been strongly advocating for a new Interlocutor and mediation at the top political level to revive the stalled peace process even though Delhi has signed the Framework Agreement of 2015 with the NSCN (IM) and the Agreed Position of 2017 with other Naga groups under the umbrella of NNPGs.

Lal, a retired IPS officer and former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, had previously led the Naga political talks from March to July 2014. He was also present at the signing of the tripartite agreement for the creation of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority involving the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation, the Nagaland government and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to an Indian Express report, Ajit Lal, apart from reviving momentum in Naga talks, the new interlocutor will also have to navigate negotiations with Kuki-Zo militant groups in Manipur and help stabilise a region that continues to witness ethnic and political volatility.

Meanwhile the call for a third-party guarantor by the NSCN (IM) is a clear sign that there is a trust deficit in the Indo-Naga peace process. The question is whether the new Interlocutor and the proposed negotiation framework will be able to bring back trust and confidence into the process and work out a mutually acceptable solution.

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