Assam seals peace pact with Kuki, Hmar groups; welfare councils planned

Guwahati, March 15: Paving the way for the formation of welfare and development councils for Kuki and Hmar communities in Assam, Memoranda of Settlement (MoS) were signed between the state government and the armed groups of the two communities, on Sunday.

Signed at Dispur in the presence of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, both the agreements envisage the formation of the Kuki Welfare and Development Council (KWDC) and the Hmar Welfare Development Council (HWDC) in areas dominated by the respective communities in the state.

According to the official statements, the proposed councils will consist of a Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chief Executive Member, Executive Members, General Members and members nominated by the Assam government, with the headquarters of both councils to be established in Guwahati.

“There will be budget provisions for both the councils, which will prepare development proposals as per their requirements and submit them to the Transformation and Development Department for approval by the state government,” the statement said.

The armed groups under the MoS involves Kuki groups namely United Kukigam Defence Army (UKDA), Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), Kuki Liberation Organization / Kuki Liberation Army (KLO/KLA) as well as the Hmar group Hmar Peoples' Convention (Democratic) (HPC-D).

The MoS also include a list of schemes aimed at accelerating development in Kuki and Hmar-inhabited areas.

“The MoS contain an illustrative list of schemes to ensure accelerated and focused development of the Kuki and Hmar inhabited areas of Assam while protecting, preserving and promoting their social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identity,” the statement added.

The state government will also undertake rehabilitation measures for cadres of the armed groups as per existing procedures.

“Family members of cadres who lost their lives during the armed struggle will be provided financial compensation by the Government of Assam,” the statement added.

All four groups had laid down arms in 2012 in the presence of the then Union Home Minister and the then Chief Minister of Assam, following which Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements were signed with the state government to resolve their long-standing issues through dialogue.

“As part of this process, several rounds of tripartite talks were held after the SoO agreements. After the present government came to power, the process of signing the MoS was accelerated as an initiative for peace and tranquillity in the state and to fulfil the aspirations of both communities,” the release said.

Officials said that in the past few years, the Government of India and the Government of Assam have signed MoS with several armed groups.

“During last few years, Govt. of India and Govt. of Assam have signed MoS with Bodo groups, Karbi groups, Adivasi groups, DNLA group and ULFA group and rehabilitated more than 9000 cadres,” the release listed.

More than 9,000 cadres have been rehabilitated under these peace initiatives, with the groups depositing 1,012 arms, 25,488 rounds of ammunition and 34 grenades before joining the mainstream.

“With the signing of the Kuki group MoS and the Hmar group MoS, ethnic militancy in the state of Assam comes to an end,” the release said, adding that the government will take appropriate steps to rehabilitate the cadres and support development in their inhabited areas.

The latest agreements were signed on behalf of the state government by Ajay Tewari, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Political Department.

The move comes after the Assam Assembly passed a bill to create the Karbi Welfare Autonomous Council in November 2025, aimed at safeguarding the interests of Karbi people living outside the jurisdiction of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council.

The bill, introduced in the Assembly by Ranoj Pegu, seeks to provide an institutional mechanism for welfare schemes and representation of Karbi communities outside their traditional autonomous areas.