The Indian Experience of Conflict Resolution in Mizoram

Escalation and de-escalation of violence in insurgencies: Insights from Northeast India

“…De-escalation can also occur when the insurgent group identifies an opportunity to resolve the conflict in a positive sum manner if it believes that the state is willing to concede most of its demands, namely, political representation, economic development, recognition of ethnic identity, and rehabilitation of cadres as happened in the Mizo insurgeny in Northeast India. 82 …”

Two Strands of Nationalism: A Narrative on the Mizo War of Independence

“…In fact, the pan-Mizo feeling in the aftermaths of the Mautam famine greatly contributed to the growth of Mizo ethnic identity formation. The MNF reinforced this identity formation, designating tribes other than Mizo and the Indian armed forces as outsiders (Goswami, 2009, p. 584). In other words, in the case of the MNF, the leadership employed ethnic nationalism to define the movement and to rally support for Mizo separatism (Ladwig, 2009, p. 46).…”

“…The Calcutta Convention and the July Agreement only underlined Laldenga’s intent to garner and convince his colleagues in the MNF to support his stance. As a result, since the signing of the July Agreement, the MNF had, in essence, reframed its core demand for complete independence in the 1960s to one of greater autonomy in the 1970s (Goswami, 2009, p. 582).…”

“…The Mizo peace process also reveals the important role played by insurgent leaders in changing the outfit’s goal and resolving the issue. Without Laldenga’s realization that their armed struggle for independence was a futile exercise, resolution might have proved difficult (Goswami, 2009, p. 582).…”