Peace Accord With Assam Tribal Outfits a Milestone: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has lauded the tripartite peace accord signed between the central government and Assam government with eight tribal outfits of the state on Thursday.

He said that over 1100 persons of the Adivasi outfits are surrendering arms and joining the mainstream today.

The home minister further said that the Centre is working towards ending all border disputes in the northeast by 2024.

The biggest programme was to establish peace. In this, we are today crossing a big milestone and moving ahead. Around 1100 persons of Adivasi outfits of Assam are surrendering arms and joining the mainstream today," he said.

The minister said that the government is working for the conservation and development of culture of Assam and the northeast, ending disputes, signing agreements with armed groups and rehabilitating them and boosting development in the northeast as in other parts of the country.

"We have signed several agreements in the past three years. We have decided that before 2024, be it the inter-state border disputes, be it rebel groups, we want to end all the disputes," he said.

"We want Assam and the North East region should be drug-free, terrorism-free, dispute-free and fully developed. Modi government is working towards this," he added.

The eight rebel groups which are part of the tripartite peace accord include Birsa Commando Force (BCF), Adivasi People's Army (APA), All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam (ACMA) and Santhali Tiger Force (STF) and the remaining three outfits are splinter groups of BCF, AANLA and ACMA.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present during the signing of the agreement. He had earlier held a meeting with rebel Adivasi groups regarding the final settlement which is currently under a ceasefire.

The accord was signed 10 years after the peace process started. Birsa Commando Force (BCF), Adivasi People's Army (APA), All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam (ACMA) and Santhali Tiger Force (STF) have been in a ceasefire with the government since 2012 and since then the cadres of the militant outfits are staying in designated camps.

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