As many as 14 Naga insurgents and two civilian were killed in three separate factional clashes between the rival groups of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) near Dimapur town of Nagaland state on May 161. The NSCN-IM and NSCN-U are currently engaged in a war with both blaming each other for the deteriorating situation in and around Dimapur town. In the wake of the escalation of the internecine clash between the Naga factions, the state government has asked police and paramilitary forces to enforce strict ceasefire rules on the ground. The state government, after an emergency Cabinet meeting at capital Kohima on May 16, directed the police, CRPF and Assam Rifles to enforce the ‘Standard Operation Procedure’ issued by the Union Home Ministry which empowered the police and security forces to take action against violators of the agreed truce2.

In other developments, insurgents of the Jewel Gordosa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) gunned down at least 11 people in two separate incidents in Assam’s NC Hills district on May 15, taking the toll of those killed since May 10 to 223. On May 11, the insurgent group had killed eight labourers engaged in construction of railway quarters in the area. The outfit had issued a diktat to stop all work on the East-West corridor and on the broad gauge conversion projects. Work on the East-West corridor in the Mahur-Maibong section was stopped following the diktat4.

• 1. “14 killed as Naga factions clash - Residents die in protest attack,” Telegraph, May 17, 2008, at http://telegraphindia.com/1080517/jsp/frontpage/story_9282747.jsp
• 2. “Security forces to enforce ceasefire,” The Hindu, May 18, 2008, at http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/18/stories/2008051857210100.htm
• 3. “DHD(J) kills 11 more in NC Hills,” Sentinel, May 16, 2008, at http://sentinelassam.com/sentinel_en/main%20news.htm
• 4. “8 die in Jewel revenge strike,” Telegraph, May 12, 2008, at http://telegraphindia.com/1080512/jsp/frontpage/story_9258388.jsp