A fresh round of official talks to resolve the decades-old border dispute between Mizoram and Assam will be held in Guwahati on April 25, Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga said on Sunday. According to Sapdanga, the proposal for this upcoming meeting was raised by the Assam government, and Mizoram has given in-principle consent for it. The Mizoram delegation will leave for Guwahati from Aizawl on April 24, he informed.
Discussions on delegation and schedule for talks underway
A senior Mizoram home department official said that while the proposed schedule has been approved in principle, the members of the delegation and the full schedule of the visit are yet to be finalised. The file has been sent to the state government and is now awaiting approval. The meeting comes after the fourth round of ministerial talks held in Aizawl in August 2024, in which the Mizoram delegation was led by Sapdanga, and the Assam team was led by Border Security and Development Minister Atul Bora.
Promise to honour earlier agreements, efforts to resolve disputes
In a joint statement issued after that meeting, both states had promised to honour previous agreements and maintain peace in the disputed area. Both sides had also agreed that they will cooperate to resolve the remaining disputed issues and examine them thoroughly. Additionally, both sides had also decided that another ministerial-level meeting will be held before March 31, 2025, but this deadline has been missed so far. The statement had also directed that the sub-divisional officers and superintendents of police of border districts should hold meetings every six months and conduct monthly virtual reviews, so that trust can be built at the local level and the situation can be monitored.
Border tensions and steps towards peace after the clashes
The border had been tense for years, but the situation took a serious turn after a deadly encounter on July 26, 2021, in which five Assam Police personnel were killed. The incident reinvigorated peace efforts, following which an Assam delegation visited Aizawl in August 2021. After that, four rounds of official talks have been held – three in Aizawl and one in Guwahati. Besides, two rounds of chief minister-level talks were also held in Delhi, in which former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held talks in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
