Manipur trade blockade to ease from 6 PM today as United Naga Council agrees to pause

The United Naga Council (UNC) has decided to temporarily suspend its trade embargo from 6 pm today, following a written assurance from the government to hold talks regarding the scrapping of the FMR and the construction of border fencing. 

The decision was taken during an emergency Presidential Council Meeting held at the UNC office in Tahamzam, Senapati. A formal press note from the UNC is expected later in the evening.

The Manipur government had appealed to the UNC, the apex Naga body in the state, to call off its indefinite economic blockade along National Highways in Naga-dominated areas. In a letter to the UNC president on Wednesday, Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs has been engaging with the UNC on the contentious issue of border fencing along the India–Myanmar boundary in Naga-inhabited regions.

Also Read: Manipur urges United Naga Council to withdraw highway blockade

Goel assured that the Centre has taken note of the concerns raised by the UNC and other stakeholders and will hold prior consultations before proceeding with any fencing works. He also mentioned that the next tripartite meeting with the UNC will be scheduled at a mutually convenient date and venue, urging the council to withdraw all forms of agitation “in the larger public interest.”

Officials reported that over 100 goods trucks and fuel tankers carrying essential commodities remained stranded on National Highway 2 (Imphal–Dimapur) and National Highway 37 (Imphal–Silchar) across Senapati and Tamenglong districts. Additionally, more than 70 trucks were held up at Jiribam, along the Assam border, highlighting the severe disruption caused by the ongoing blockade.