Naga militant leader Isak Chishi Swu passes away

Naga militant leader Isak Chishi Swu, who led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades, died on Tuesday following multi-organ failure.

•    The 87-year-old Chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last around noon.
•    Swu, who belonged to the Sumi tribe, hailed from the Zunheboto district of Nagaland and his body will be taken to his native place tomorrow for last rites.
•    Swu along with NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah formed the group in 1980 opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the central government for bringing peace in Nagaland.
•    The signing of the pact came after over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.
•    Swu joined the Naga National Council (NNC) in the 1950s and served it in different capacities till its split in 1980.