End of an era in Nagaland with Isak Swu's passing away
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They had crossed over to Myanmar and scaled the Great Wall of China to seek Chinese help in their armed struggle for a sovereign Nagaland. File photo
It was in 1980 that a bunch of Naga leaders opposed the historic Shillong Accord signed between the Centre and Naga National Council (NNC) to bring an end to Naga armed rebellion. Leading the group were two youths - Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, who along with a Myanmarese Naga S S Khaplang formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on January 31, 1980.
They had crossed over to Myanmar and scaled the Great Wall of China to seek Chinese help in their armed struggle for a sovereign Nagaland. Later, Khaplang parted ways to split NSCN, but Swu and Muivah stayed together and formed the Isak-Muivah faction, the most dominant faction of NSCN till date.
Swu was the Chairman of NSCN (IM) till he died, Muivah is the General Secretary.
Eighty-seven-year-old Swu, who was in a Delhi hospital for over a year, was on life support and died due to multi-organ failure from advanced kidney diseases. He was highly diabetic.
His mortal remains will be flown to Dimapur in Nagaland on June 29 and brought to the NSCN (IM) Central Headquarters (CHQ) at camp Hebron on the outskirts of Dimapur. He is survived by his wife, five sons and a daughter. Swu led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades. Born in 1929 in the family of Kushe Chishi Swu of Chishilimi Naga village, Zunheboto district of Nagaland, he belonged to the Sema sub tribe of the Nagas. He was a graduate in Political Science from St Anthony’s College in Shillong and was a youth activist before joining the NNC and going underground.
In the NNC, he was first the foreign secretary and later became the vice president. He opposed the idea of signing the peace accord of 1975 and left NNC along with Muivah and couple of other top leaders. Swu’s death, however, would not impact the fate of the peace process since he was not actively involved owing to health issues. Another top Naga leader, Khole Konyak has already been made the vice chairman of the group.
They had crossed over to Myanmar and scaled the Great Wall of China to seek Chinese help in their armed struggle for a sovereign Nagaland. Later, Khaplang parted ways to split NSCN, but Swu and Muivah stayed together and formed the Isak-Muivah faction, the most dominant faction of NSCN till date.
Swu was the Chairman of NSCN (IM) till he died, Muivah is the General Secretary.
Eighty-seven-year-old Swu, who was in a Delhi hospital for over a year, was on life support and died due to multi-organ failure from advanced kidney diseases. He was highly diabetic.
His mortal remains will be flown to Dimapur in Nagaland on June 29 and brought to the NSCN (IM) Central Headquarters (CHQ) at camp Hebron on the outskirts of Dimapur. He is survived by his wife, five sons and a daughter. Swu led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades. Born in 1929 in the family of Kushe Chishi Swu of Chishilimi Naga village, Zunheboto district of Nagaland, he belonged to the Sema sub tribe of the Nagas. He was a graduate in Political Science from St Anthony’s College in Shillong and was a youth activist before joining the NNC and going underground.
In the NNC, he was first the foreign secretary and later became the vice president. He opposed the idea of signing the peace accord of 1975 and left NNC along with Muivah and couple of other top leaders. Swu’s death, however, would not impact the fate of the peace process since he was not actively involved owing to health issues. Another top Naga leader, Khole Konyak has already been made the vice chairman of the group.