UALA buys time for disband of outfit

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: March 31: The formal disband of the United Achik

Liberation Army (UALA) is likely to be delayed given the fact that the top leaders of the outfit have not been able to mobilize the cadres of the outfit so far.

Even though the self styled commander-in -chief (C-in-C) of UALA Norok Momin, who was initially  reluctant to join peace process,  participated  at the Tura meeting held on Wednesday, it was clear from the version of the leadership that they could not mobilize its cadres to filize the date.

A well placed source who was part of the meeting revealed that the UALA leadership has sought more time to complete the process of disbandment as per the agreement entered with the State Government.

“They said that they wanted some more time to mobilize the scattering cadres in the five districts,” said a source, even as he said that the UALA leadership have tentatively fixed the first week of May to formally lay down the arms and disband the organization.

The UALA claimed to have strength of 70 odd members and 22 of those cadres have reportedly are in Baljek rehabilitation camp in the past three weeks.  Interestingly, two of them have disappeared from the camp.  

It’s more than four months that the UALA leadership has asked its cadres to report to their respective commands but the stray adherence to the higher up directive elucidate the type of arm organization that it is.

As reported by The Sentinel, most of the cadres are school drop outs barring the Chairman Novembirth Sangma.  Novembirth happens to be the only man who communicated in English during the pre-truce deal.

While the UALA leadership is bargaining with the government on grounds that it is trying to mobilize the scattered cadres, a senior official of the Home Department told The Sentinel, “We are awaiting the advisory of the Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi and from our experience with the Achik tiol Volunteer Council (ANVC) there is no long rope that we will give to the likes of UALA”.

He further said that the government will not succumb to any pressure except on issue of disbanding the outfit. The UALA is a breakaway faction of the ANVC-B and was involved a series of killings and abductions in Garo Hills. Its chairman Norok Momin is wanted for a couple of killings including the Rabha carge in 2013.