Four years after the initiation of dialogue, the Centre on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Settlement with the last remaining faction of the National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT).
Under the terms of the agreement, 88 cadres of the outlawed group are expected to surrender and receive benefits of the surrender-cum-rehabilitation scheme announced last year.
Saturday’s agreement marks the surrender of the fourth faction of the NLFT, which had waged an armed insurgency for over two decades, demanding demand a separate tribal homeland.
The Centre’s interlocutors had first arranged a tripartite meeting involving representatives from Delhi, the State government and NLFT at Shillong on April 4, 2015. The government of Meghalaya had facilitated the venue and logistics of the initial meeting.
Highly placed sources in security circles said though there were few talks since then, the peace process gained momentum in recent months.
The interlocutors, essentially from intelligence services, continued contact with senior NLFT members residing in locations in Dhalai district, along the border with Bangladesh.
The NLFT, which was formed in 1989, waged an armed insurgency for over two decades, demanding a separate tribal homeland.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb hailed the signing of the peace settlement with NLFT.
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