Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement

A Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement is a deal between the government and an armed rebel group to stop fighting each other for a while. The security forces stop their operations against the group. In return, the group's fighters stop violence, live in special camps and lock up their weapons. It is a pause in fighting that gives time for peace talks. It is not a final peace settlement.

Why do we need such a deal?

Fighting a rebel group can go on for decades. It costs lives on both sides and hurts ordinary villagers caught in the middle. A full peace deal needs long talks on hard questions like land, identity and self-rule. An SoO agreement is a first step. It is like a referee in a football match blowing the whistle to stop play while the captains talk. It brings down violence now, and keeps the door open for a lasting solution later.

Where did the Manipur SoO come from?

From the 1990s, many armed groups of the Kuki, Zomi and related tribes were active in Manipur's hills. Around 2005, groups under two umbrella bodies started a pause in fighting with the Government of India and the Army. On 22 August 2008, a formal tripartite (three-sided) agreement was signed between:

• the Government of India,
• the Government of Manipur, and
• two umbrella bodies: the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF).

Together, these two bodies cover about 25 Kuki-Zo armed groups with a little over 2,000 fighters (called cadres). The agreement is renewed for fixed periods, usually one year at a time.

How does it work in practice?

The deal runs on a set of "ground rules". The main ones are:

1. Cadres must live inside designated camps. Before 2025 there were 14 such camps in the hill districts.
2. Their weapons are kept in a locked armoury in each camp, under a double-lock system: one key stays with the group and the other with the security forces.
3. The groups must give up violence, follow the Constitution of India and must not take part in extortion (forcing people to pay money), kidnapping or ambushes.
4. The security forces do not launch operations against them as long as they follow these rules.
5. Each cadre gets a monthly stipend (living allowance) of ₹6,000 as part of a rehabilitation package.

Who checks that the rules are followed?

A Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) oversees the deal. It has members from the Union Home Ministry, the Manipur Home Department, the Army and the paramilitary forces. It meets regularly and looks into complaints of rule-breaking. Because the deal is tripartite, the final call on ending it lies with this joint system and the Centre, not with any one party alone.

Key changes over time

• March 2023: On 10 March 2023, the Manipur Cabinet decided to pull out of the SoO with two groups, the Kuki National Army (KNA) and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). It accused them of links with poppy (opium) farming and of sheltering undocumented migrants from Myanmar.
• February 2024: The Manipur government refused to extend the SoO, so the pact lapsed at the end of February 2024. The Manipur Legislative Assembly also passed a resolution asking the Centre to end the SoO agreements.
• September 2025: On 4 September 2025, the Centre, the Manipur government, the KNO and the UPF signed a renewed SoO in New Delhi for one year, with revised ground rules. The groups agreed to respect the territorial integrity of Manipur (not to break up the state), to help keep National Highway 2 open, to move seven camps away from conflict-prone areas and cut the number of camps, to shift weapons to the nearest CRPF or BSF camps, and to allow strict physical checks of cadres to remove any foreign nationals.
• September 2026: The one-year pact ended on 4 September 2026. As of October 2026, the Union Home Ministry had not renewed it.

India's wider use of such deals

The SoO is one of several tools India uses in the Northeast. The usual path is: pause in fighting (SoO or ceasefire) → political talks → a final peace accord → surrender of arms and rehabilitation of cadres. For example, several Karbi armed groups of Assam moved from a pause in fighting to the Karbi Anglong Agreement of September 2021.

Commonly confused concepts

• SoO vs ceasefire: Both stop the fighting. A ceasefire is the word usually used for the Naga groups, for example the 1997 ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M). SoO is the term used mainly for the Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur and some groups in Assam. In the Manipur SoO, the state government is also a signatory.
• SoO vs peace accord: An SoO only pauses the fight. A peace accord, such as the Bodo Accord (2020), is a final settlement of political demands.
• SoO vs AFSPA: AFSPA gives the forces special powers to act in a disturbed area. An SoO is a promise by the forces not to act against one particular group, as long as it follows the rules. Both can exist in the same place at the same time.

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Misuse of the pause: Critics, including many valley-based civil society groups, say some cadres leave camps, carry weapons and take part in violence and extortion. In September 2026, a coalition of 29 civil society organisations demanded that the SoO be scrapped.
• Weak monitoring: Camps are often in remote hills, so it is hard to check how many cadres are inside and whether all weapons are locked up.
• Clashing political demands: The KNO and UPF seek a separate administration (such as a Union Territory with a legislature) for Kuki-Zo areas. Meitei groups oppose any break-up of Manipur, and Naga groups have their own territorial claims over some of the same hills. This makes a final deal difficult.
• Supporters' view: Supporters argue that without the SoO, over 2,000 armed cadres would be fighting in the open, and that the deal is the only channel for talks with these groups.
• Way forward: Experts suggest tighter, technology-based monitoring of camps and weapons, strict and time-bound action on violations, and a clear roadmap from the pause to a final political settlement that all communities can accept.

Concepts to Know

• Tripartite agreement: An agreement signed by three parties. Here the three are the Centre, the Manipur government and the armed groups.
• Cadre: A trained member of an armed group or organisation.
• Designated camp: A fixed camp chosen by the government where the cadres must stay, so that security forces can keep track of them.
• Territorial integrity: The idea that a state's borders must stay as they are and no part should be cut away from it.
• Rehabilitation package: Money and support given to former fighters to help them start a normal, peaceful life.
• Extortion: Forcing people or businesses to pay money through threats.