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Ethnic armed organisation in India and Myanmar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Naga Army is the ethnic minority army of the Naga people.[citation needed] Currently it is the military wing of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN).[1]
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| Naga Army | |
|---|---|
Badge of the Naga Army | |
| Leaders | Reivilie Angami Thuingaleng Muivah Kaito Sukhai Mowu Gwizan |
| Dates of operation | 1952 – present |
| Headquarters | Camp Hebron, Peren District, Nagaland |
| Active regions |
|
| Ideology | Naga nationalism |
| Size | one brigade and six battalions |
| Part of | NNC NSCN |
| Battles and wars | Naga Conflict |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |  India |
| Website | Naga Army FB page |
The Naga Army was founded by Reivilie Angami in 1952. In its first phase it was part of the Naga National Council. After 1980 it became the armed wing of the NSCN.[2][1][failed verification]
The Naga National Council had two wings, the Naga Federal Government (NFG) —renamed Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) in 1959— and the Naga Army,[3] also known by other names, such as Naga Home Guard (preceded by the Safe Guard),[4] Naga Federal Army,[5] etc.[6][7] After more than a decade of unfruitful talks with the Indian authorities, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Zapu Phizo, the NNC chairman, lost faith in the diplomatic process. He realized that the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the issue with India would be very remote, for he saw that there was no intention to grant self-determination to Nagaland.[8] When the insurgent army began operating in the Naga territories the Indian government responded heavy-handedly. In 1958 the whole sector was declared a "disturbed area" by the Indian state, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was implemented and the Indian Army forced its way into the Naga region. In the ensuing unequal battle the Naga fighters were crushed. Despite official denials, the Indian Armed Forces committed atrocities both against the fighters, as well as against the civilian population, including torture, rape and arson.[9][5] The Naga National Council leadership fled to East Pakistan and Phizo went from there into exile. The insurgents meanwhile dispersed among the civilian population and engaged in small, sporadic, attacks. Some of the most severe confrontations of this period took place in Jotsoma village.[7] Later, on 26 August 1960, a Douglas C-47 plane of the Indian Air Force was shot down during an attempt to drop relief materials and ammunitions to a military outpost. Eventually, on 6 September 1964 the Indian Armed Forces declared a ceasefire.[10][11]
In 1966 the insurgents sought help from China. The first expedition being led by NNC General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah in October. It trekked across the mountainous Sagaing Division, reaching the Chinese border three months later in January 1967. Over 130 military personnel were trained and indoctrinated in Tengchong, Yunnan, and returned to Nagaland with brand-new Chinese equipment, including rifles and rocket launchers. A second expedition was led by NNC leader Isak Chishi Swu and Naga Army General Mowu Gwizan. The 330 men left in December 1967 and reached China by March 1968, being similarly trained and supplied weapons at Tengchong. A third expedition with one hundred men, led by Ngasating Shimray and Lt. Colonel Taka left Nagaland in January 1968. They were blocked and turned back by Kachin Independence Army (KIA) members, after confiscating their weapons.[3]
The association with Communist China caused deep disagreements at the top. General Kaito Sukhai, who had been in the Naga Army since the beginning, firmly opposed it and left the organization in July 1967. The following year in August he would be assassinated.[12] Shortly thereafter Kaito Sukhai's supporters, who were mostly Sümi Naga, defected from the Naga Army and formed their own organization, the Revolutionary Government of Nagaland (RGN). In the end the cadres of this group gave up the armed struggle and went back to civilian life. Some of them joined the Border Security Force (BSF).[13]
Following the 1975 Shillong Accord, a key group of the underground Naga political organisation accepted military defeat and the surrender of arms. The accord stipulated that the weapons of the underground Naga guerrillas would be deposited in agreed spots. However, those inspecting the implementation of the accord observed that weapons that had been surrendered were old and outdated and inferred that the best weaponry of the underground forces had been sent across the border to units entrenched in Burma's frontier region. Rano M. Shaiza, Phizo's niece, saw the accord as a favorable opportunity towards a solution of the intractable Naga problem, but she warned too that 'a sizeable underground hardcore led by well-trained, experienced and dedicated leaders has established its headquarters in the Naga territory of northern Burma'.[14]
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