As Mizoram commemorates the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Mizoram Peace Accord on June 30, one question continues to stand out. How did a society that had lived through two decades of a secessionist movement and military operations under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) emerge without a cycle of revenge? Because it was not only security forces that killed Mizos during the conflict.
The atmosphere of mistrust created during the insurgency also saw Mizos kill fellow Mizos. Historian JV Hluna estimates that more than 270 people lost their lives during the conflict. Yet when the MNF surrendered and the Peace Accord was signed in 1986, there was not a single incident of retaliatory violence.
Families who had lost fathers, sons and, in some cases, daughters did not seek vengeance. For prominent Mizoram historian JV Hluna, the answer begins with Laldenga’s leadership. “Laldenga was an exceptionally wise leader.
On July 1, 1976, the preparations for the signing of the Peace Accord were ready, but he waited for ten years till June 30, 1986. During these ten years, one after another, those who opposed the new direction were sidelined until only those loyal to Laldenga’s vision remained. For the next ten years, the struggle continued under leaders like Zoramthanga.
By the time the Memorandum of Settlement was finalised, no one questioned it. Whatever Laldenga decided was accepted,” he added. According to Hluna, the success of the Peace Accord lay in the simple fact that the people had grown weary of conflict.
“The biggest reason the Peace Accord succeeded was that people had simply suffered too much. The army made life miserable everywhere, but the MNF also brought hardship. There were local government informers and CID networks everywhere, and people lived with constant fear and suspicion.
All the people wanted peace, and every political party echoed that demand.” The historian said resentment certainly existed before the accord, but it disappeared almost overnight. “Before the accord, there was hatred. Around 273 people had already been killed.
But on the night peace came, something remarkable happened. We welcomed one another and forgave each other. Those who returned from the underground were embraced with compassion because they had suffered so much.
We had longed for peace for so long that we were exhausted by the mistrust and violence. That is why we celebrated peace instead of seeking revenge.” LR Sailo, who was Mizoram’s District Information and Public Relations Officer when the Peace Accord was signed, remembers the same overwhelming desire for peace. “We all wanted peace.
That was the most significant factor. The Church played an enormous role, supported by the YMA, and the entire civil population wanted peace. We had craved peace for so long that there was no desire for revenge.
Looking back, it almost feels like a miracle.” For historian and former Central Young Mizo Association General Secretary Prof. C. Malsawmliana, the Church laid the foundation for reconciliation long before the accord itself. “It was because of the initiatives of the Churches for peace negotiations.
The two leading denominations, the Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church, formed a Peace Mission to take the lead in peace negotiations.”
