Naga insurgent leader Isak Chishi Swu dead

Naga militant leader Isak Chishi Swu, who led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades, died in New Delhi on Tuesday following multi-organ failure.

The 87-year-old chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland- Isak-Muivah was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last on Tuesday afternoon, Nagaland government spokesperson Kuolie Mere said.

Swu, who belonged to the Sumi tribe, hailed from the Zunheboto district of Nagaland and his body will be taken to his native place on Wednesday for last rites.

Swu along with NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah formed the group in 1980 opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council with the central government for bringing peace in Nagaland.

Over the years, NSCN-IM has been accused of indulging in killings, extortion and other subversive activities. Its persistent demand for separation from the country, led to military clamp down on the group.

In 1997, NSCN-IM entered into a truce with the central government for peace and since then has been continuing dialogue with centre’s emissaries.

In August last year, the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement with the government which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a ‘historic’ step to usher in peace in the state.

The pact was signed in the presence of the prime minister, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval by Muivah and government’s interlocutor R N Ravi at the PM’s residence in New Delhi.

The signing of the pact came after over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.

Swu joined the NNC in the 1950s and served it in different capacities till its split in 1980.

IMAGE: Naga militant leader Isak Chishi Swu. Photograph: @wethenagas/Twitter