GUWAHATI: In what was described as a “historic” development, the Thadou Inpi Manipur, the apex civil society organisation representing the Thadou tribe, held a closed-door meeting with key Meitei groups in Imphal on Wednesday, marking the first time since the ethnic conflict that Thadou leaders have entered the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley.The Meitei groups present included the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, All Manipur United Clubs Organisation, Federation of Civil Society Organisations and Arambai Tenggol. The meeting also saw the participation of student and women leaders.Although the details of the meeting were not made public, sources said the discussions allegedly centred on efforts to restore peace, rebuild inter-community relationships, and eliminate mistrust between the groups.The meeting is being seen as a major step toward reconciliation in the wake of a violent ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and tribal Kukis that has, since May 2023, allegedly claimed more than 250 lives and displaced around 60,000 people internally.The Thadous, who were also affected by the conflict, used the opportunity to clarify their identity. The Thadou Inpi Manipur, in a statement issued after the meeting, said the discussions were part of a “community understanding programme” between both sides.The statement added that the Thadous, long considered part of the larger Kuki umbrella, are in fact a “distinct indigenous identity.”
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