Harbouring Peace? FNTA Accord Signed to Boost Autonomy in Eastern Nagaland

Guwahati: In a significant political development for India’s Northeast, the Government of India (GoI), the Government of Nagaland (GoN), and the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to establish the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), granting enhanced autonomy to six eastern districts of Nagaland.

The agreement, signed in New Delhi, provides legislative, executive and financial powers to the Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator districts. Under the arrangement, authority will be devolved over 46 subjects, alongside the creation of a mini-secretariat and a dedicated development outlay proportionate to the region’s needs. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs will extend initial financial support to operationalise the new body.

The accord retains constitutional protections under Article 371(A), ensuring that Naga customary laws, land rights, and social practices remain safeguarded and outside the FNTA’s jurisdiction.

The development follows years of sustained demands by ENPO, which represents eight Naga tribes. Since 2010, the organisation has called for a separate “Frontier Nagaland” state, citing long-standing concerns over underdevelopment, limited political representation, and administrative neglect in the eastern districts. The FNTA framework, set for review after a decade, is widely viewed as a compromise that offers substantial autonomy without altering Nagaland’s territorial boundaries.

From a security standpoint, the move is seen as an effort to stabilise a strategically sensitive region that shares a porous border with Myanmar and has historically been vulnerable to insurgent activity and arms trafficking. Eastern Nagaland has often remained on the margins of broader peace initiatives involving Naga armed groups, despite facing some of the State’s most acute developmental challenges.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the agreement as part of the Centre’s broader push for a “dispute-free Northeast”, noting that a dozen peace accords have been concluded in the region since 2019. Observers suggest that the FNTA reflects a shift towards administrative accommodation and conflict prevention through decentralised governance structures.

However, the success of the FNTA will depend heavily on effective implementation. Analysts caution that past autonomous arrangements in the Northeast have struggled due to bureaucratic delays, overlapping jurisdictions and limited administrative capacity. Ensuring steady financial flows and coordination between the FNTA, the State Government, and the Centre will be crucial.

While ENPO leaders have welcomed the agreement as a historic step forward, grassroots expectations remain high, particularly among those who had campaigned for full statehood. The Nagaland Government has reiterated its support for enhanced autonomy but maintained firm opposition to any territorial bifurcation or separate constitutional provision beyond Article 371(A), underscoring the importance of state unity.

Major Naga armed groups, including the National Socialist Council of Nagaland–Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), have yet to issue detailed public responses. The group has instead reaffirmed its commitment to the broader Indo-Naga Framework Agreement, signalling caution towards parallel political processes outside ongoing peace negotiations.

The FNTA now stands as a critical test of New Delhi’s approach to managing sub-regional grievances through institutional reform rather than coercive measures. If implemented effectively, it could ease long-standing tensions in one of the Northeast’s most fragile frontiers; failure, however, may risk reviving feelings of marginalisation in the region.

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