Recent Peace Agreement in Assam

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the end of tribal insurgency in Assam with the signing of the peace agreement.
• Insurgency in Assam has been a significant issue since the 1980s, despite the formation of separate states such as Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The insurgent groups primarily demand greater political autonomy, often through calls for separate statehood.
• The autonomous districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills are home to 15 recognized tribes, while the rest of the state comprises 14 recognized tribes.
• The major tribes in Assam and their population proportions are as follows:
  • Bodo (35%)
  • Mishing (17.52%)
  • Karbi (11.1%)
  • Rabha (7.6%)
  • Sonowal Kachari (6.5%)
  • Lalung (5.2%)
  • Garo (4.2%)
  • Dimasa (3.2%)
• The most violent insurgency was led by the Bodo group, even though the Karbi and Dimasa groups have also been involved in militancy for decades.
• The peace process has been underway for years, and the recent peace agreements signed with different groups are expected to end the insurgency.

The Dimasa Peace Agreement

• The DNLA, the latest group to take up arms in the Dima Hasao district, signed the recent peace agreement.
• The agreement with DNLA includes similar provisions to the peace settlement signed with five Karbi Anflong groups two years prior.
• Many former militants have given up militancy and joined mainstream politics after signing peace agreements over the years. Notable examples include Hagrama Mohilary from the BLT, Horen Singh Bey from the USDP, and Jewel Garlosa, Debolal Gorlosa, and Niranjan Hojai from the DHD (J).

Challenges with Peace Settlements:

• There is a history of breakaway factions and new groups emerging after peace settlements with a given group or a section of the group's leadership.
• Experts suggest that the government needs to be wary of the emergence of new groups or breakaway factions that could disrupt the peace in the state.
• Potential insurgents may exploit the government's generosity to take up arms and benefit from peace settlements.
• It is recommended that the Union government establish the North East Security Council to understand and manage the region holistically.

Peace Agreement with Bodo and Karbi:

• Three peace accords have been signed with Bodo in 1993, 2003, and 2020.
• The first Bodo accord was signed in 1993 with the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) after their demand for a separate Bodo state led to an intensified movement. This accord led to the formation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council.
• However, the first peace accord fell through after ABSU withdrew from the agreement, leading to the second accord in 2003 with the Bodo Liberation Tigers. This agreement resulted in the formation of the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC), with jurisdiction over the Bodo Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD).
• The third accord in 2020 was signed with four factions of the militant National Democratic Front of Bodoland, resulting in more legislative, administrative, executive, and financial powers to the BTC, the power to alter the area of the BTAD, and the recognition of the Bodo language as an associate official language in the state.
• As for Karbi, an agreement was signed in 2021 with five militant groups, effectively ending Karbi militancy. The five groups are Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger, People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), Kuki Liberation Front (KLF), and United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA).
• The 2021 agreement provided for greater autonomy and a special development package worth 1000 crores over five years.
• The tripartite settlement signed in 2011 with the Union government and the Assam government provided for greater autonomy and special packages for the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council.