The Mizoram government is set to sign a peace agreement with a faction of the Hmar People's Convention (Democratic) led by Lalhmingthanga Sanate on April 14 at Sakawrdai, officials from the state Home Department said. The agreement is a mark of the surrender of 43 HPC(D) cadres, who are expected to lay down their arms and subsequently enter a rehabilitation programme later this month.
The agreement will be signed between the state home secretary, representing the government, and Sanate on behalf of the outfit, in the presence of Lalmuanpuia Punte, adviser to the Chief Minister (political). The development follows a recent round of talks held in Aizawl between government officials and an HPC(D) delegation headed by Sanate. The discussions, held at Punte’s office, concluded with an understanding that authorities believe could effectively bring an end to the Hmar insurgency in the state.
Sources indicated that the HPC(D) has not put forward any political demands. Instead, the agreement is expected to include a development package focused on improving rural connectivity in areas under the Sinlung Hills Council. The government will also extend rehabilitation support and general amnesty to former underground members, while compensation for surrendered weapons will be provided in accordance with rates fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Sanate-led faction is considered the last active group linked to the Hmar insurgency, which began in the late 1980s. The movement traces its origins to the formation of the Hmar People's Convention in 1986 as a platform advocating self-governance for Hmar-inhabited areas of Mizoram. In April 1987, the organisation launched an armed movement demanding the creation of an autonomous district council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, with the conflict intensifying in the early 1990s.
A major breakthrough came on July 27, 1994, when the Mizoram government and the Hmar People’s Convention signed a settlement that led to the establishment of the Sinlung Hills Development Council. Following that accord, 308 militants surrendered along with their weapons.
However, differences over the implementation of the agreement led a section of cadres to split from the parent organisation later that year and form the HPC(D) under Sanate’s leadership.
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