Global Naga Forum issues recommendation against border fencing, biometric surveillance

A seminar titled “Borders Without Consent: The Naga Struggle Against Forced Division and Surveillance” held in Kohima, representatives of diverse Naga organizations, political parties, civil society groups, student bodies, scholars, and solidarity partners issued a strong Joint Recommendation opposing the Government of India’s decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and enforce border fencing and biometric surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border.

In the statement, the Global Naga Forum (GNF) and other participants called for the immediate prioritization of a just and honorable political settlement to the long-standing Indo-Naga political issue rather than the imposition of restrictive border measures. They emphasized that the Indo-Myanmar border, established in 1952 without Naga consent, is an illegitimate division of their ancestral homeland.

The recommendation categorically rejected the scrapping of FMR and the introduction of biometric surveillance, describing them as oppressive measures that violate indigenous rights, criminalize kinship ties, and restrict traditional mobility across ancestral lands.

The forum firmly opposed any form of border fencing or militarized infrastructure, warning that such actions would only deepen fear and division among the Naga people. Instead, they called for unity across all Naga political groups, civil society organizations, and student bodies to mount a collective resistance.

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"The right to live, trade, worship, and move freely across our ancestral lands is non-negotiable," the statement declared, invoking international frameworks such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The forum also urged elected Naga leaders, irrespective of their political affiliations, to stand firmly with the people and oppose the fencing and surveillance initiatives. "Any compromise on our land, movement, or inherent rights is a betrayal of the Naga political vision rooted in unity, dignity, and self-determination," it stressed.

Reaffirming the unity of the Naga people across both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border, the Joint Recommendation called for regional and international solidarity. Indigenous networks, human rights defenders, and democratic institutions worldwide were urged to support the Naga cause and hold governments accountable to international human rights standards.

The Global Naga Forum and its partners resolved to- reject all fencing and surveillance measures imposed in the name of national security or drug control, defend their homeland through united, cross-border collaboration and engage in peaceful resistance rooted in indigenous wisdom, international law, and enduring unity.