CHANGLANG DISTRICT RECORDED HIGHEST NUMBER OF INSURGENCY RELATED INCIDENTS IN 2019 : SATP TERRORISM ASSESSMENT REPORT
Staff Reporter
Jairampur, Oct 30:
According to the terrorism assessment report presented by South Asian Terrorism Portal, in 2019 Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of insurgency related fatalities for any state in the Northeast region.
In Arunachal Pradesh, 17 persons were killed in 2019. From the 17 deceased, 11 were civilians, 03 security forces personnel and 03 militants. Manipur was second in the list with 09 fatalities followed by Nagaland (03 fatalities), Assam (03 fatalities), Meghalaya (01 fatality).
This is the highest figure for fatalities in the state since 2011 when the toll stood at 41, all the deceased were militants.
In 2019, civilian fatalities which is an indicator of the prevailing security situation in any specific region were the highest ever at 11. The previous high of 06 civilian fatalities was registered way back in 2007. In between 2008 and 2013, no civilian fatality was registered. 03 fatalities was recorded in 2014 and 02 in 2015. The slate was clean in 2016 and 2017 while 2018 saw a single insurgency linked fatality.
The sudden and colossal spike of civilian fatalities in 2019 is a matter of grave concern, the report reflected.
Prior to 2019, Arunachal Pradesh had not witnessed any major insurgent attack ( involving 03 or more fatalities) targeting civilians. But in 2019 it recorded a single incident that was responsible for 09 of 11 civilian fatalities.
On May 21, 2019, 11 people including Memeber of Legislative Assembly Tirong Aboh, his son Longgem Aboh and two of his personal security officers were killed in an ambush by suspected militants of National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak-Muivah faction at 12th Mile on Khonsa - Deomali road in Tirap district, since he was a vocal opponent of the said faction.
In 2018 and 2019, the fatalities of security forces was 02 and 03 respectively. In 2017, no security forces fatality was recorded.
On the other hand, in 2018, 11 insurgents were killed and in 2019, the figure came down to three.
2019 witnessed 16 insurgency related fatalities in three districts. It was highest in Tirap, 12 fatalities, followed by Changlang 03 fatalities and Longding 01 fatality. The location of one fatality remains unspecified.
In 2018, 14 fatalities were reported from four districts - Tirap (six fatalities), Longding (five fatalities), Changlang (two fatalities), and Namsai (one fatality). Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts, which shares international border with Myanmar, have been the worst affected in the State, the report disclosed.
Between March 6, 2000, and December 31, 2019, these three districts accounted for 160 fatalities (23 civilians, 25 SF personnel and 112 militants) out of the 217 (24 civilians, 34 SF personnel and 159 militants) reported across the State. Of these, Tirap accounted for 101 fatalities (15 civilians, 16 SF personnel, and 70 militants), followed by Changlang, 45 (08 civilians, 08 SF personnel and 30 militants), and Longding, 14 (01 civilian, 01 SF trooper and 12 militants).
In 2019, the number of overall insurgency related incidents was 55 and 56 in 2018.
In 2019, Changlang district topped the list with 31 insurgency related incidents followed by Tirap (10), Longding (04), Papumpare (02), Lohit (02), East Siang (01) and Kurung Kumey (01). The location of four incidents was unspecified.
The report further reveals that since 2016 the overall insurgency related incidents was mounting high in the state. In 2015 the figure of incidents was at 20, but in 2016 it doubled and the figure reached 44. It increased further to 55 in 2017.
The SATP report further highlighted a significant point that Arunachal Pradesh doesn't have any currently active indigenous insurgent groups and majority of the violence in the state is inflicted by groups from neighbouring Nagaland and Assam, particularly factions of NSCN and the United Liberarion Front of Asom - Independent (ULFA-I).
For instance, all the killings reported in 2019 were linked to NSCN-IM. In 2019, 72 insurgents were arrested in 37 incidents. From 72 arrested insurgents, 18 was from NSCN-R, 10 from Arunachal Pradesh Deprived People's Front, 09 from ULFA-I, 06 from NSCN-K, 05 from NSCN-IM, 04 from Coordination Committee (CorCom, Manipur based), 04 from Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG), 02 from People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and 02 from Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), 01 from Manipur’s Kangliepak Communist Party (KCP) and 01 from Assam’s National Democratic Front of Bodoland-NDFB-Saoraigwra (NDFB-S) and 01 from NSCN-U. Group affiliation of nine insurgents were not ascertained.
SATP is the largest website on terrorism and low intensity warfare in South Asia, and creates the database and analytic context for research and analysis of all extremist movements in the region. SATP has been set up to counter the progressive distortions regarding, and the international community’s neglect of, the wide range of terrorist movements within South Asia, and particularly in India.
SATP started compiling data on insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh from March 06, 2000.