What is NSCN?

National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga nationalist Military group operating in Northeast India. The main aim of the organization is to establish a sovereign state, "Nagalim" unifying all the areas inhabited by the Naga people in Northeast India and Burma.

It wa sonly Monday that a historic peace accord was signed between the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and representatives of NSCN (Issac-Muivah IM) faction. The word "Naga" denotes a conglomeration of ethnic tribes living on the Himalayan Range in North East India.

Angami, Ao, Chakesang, Konyak, Tangshang (formerly known as Heimi, Pangmi, Tangsa, Wancho, Nocte) Lotha , Pochury, Rengma, Sumi, Maram, Mao, Tangkhul, Thangal, Sangtam, Poumai, Zeliangrong, Phom, Nocte, Maring, etc. are some important sub-tribes of Naga. It is not to be confused with the Hindu Naga (Sadhus).

It is the British who brought the several tribes on these Hills under the umbrella of "Naga" probably on the basis of ethnicity founded on their dissimilarity with people in the region. NSCN was formed on January 31, 1980 by Isak Chishi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S.

Khaplang opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the Government of India. The name of the Government is called, "The People Republic of Nagaland (Nagalim)". Later, a disagreement surfaced within the outfit leaders over the issue of commencing dialogue with the Indian Government.

On 30 April 1988, the NSCN split into two factions; the NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang, and the NSCN-IM, led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah. The split was accompanied by a spate of violence and clashes between the factions. NSCN is active in North East India.

The state of Nagaland and the hill districts in Manipur inhabited by the Nagas are the main areas where strong influence and presence of the organization is felt. Its presence in neighboring states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are also widely acknowledged.

On the international level, the presence and influence of the NSCN in the Northern part of Myanmar that are inhabited by the Naga tribes dates back to the time when the Nagas started their freedom struggle.

On April 6, 2015 a new faction NSCN (Reformation) was formed. Y. Wangtin Konyak and P. Tikhak officially announced the formation of a new Naga political group going by the name ';National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Reformation)'; or NSCN (R).

The decision came after Wangtin Konyak, a senior minster(Kilonser) and personal secretary to Khapland and Tikhak, the spokesperson of the outfit were expelled by Khaplang after misunderstanding arose over the recent abrogation of ceasefire with the Government of India.