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Rebels call Christmas truce in Karbi Anglong
The violence-hit district had witnessed two months of ethnic clashes between the Karbis and the Dimasas.
An influential rebel group accused of being involved in running ethnic clashes in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Wednesday offered a ceasefire to its rival tribal militant group until Christmas.
The outlawed Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), a rebel group fighting for a homeland for the Dimasa tribe, said the truce offer was extended to the United Peoples' Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) as a goodwill gesture in view of the festive season.
UPDS, on the other hand, is fighting for a Karbi tribal homeland.
"Our group is not at all involved in the violence in the Karbi Anglong district, still we are offering a hand of friendship to the UPDS so that peace prevails among the Karbis and the Dimasas residing in the area," DHD leader Pranab Nunisa said.
The eastern district of Karbi Anglong had witnessed nearly two months of ethnic clashes between the majority Karbis and the Dimasas in which about 110 people have been killed and 50,000 displaced.
The Karbis have been bearing the maximum brunt in the conflict. Police suspect the two rebel groups were behind the clashes.
The two groups are operating separate ceasefires with the central government - the UPDS came into a truce in 2002 and the DHD entered into a ceasefire a year later in 2003.
Both the rebel groups are allowed to retain their weapons under the ceasefire agreements, although their cadres were supposed to remain confined in designated camps allotted to them by the Government.
"We have urged people of both the communities to maintain calm and not to engage in any clashes," the DHD leader said.
The UPDS leaders were not immediately available for comments.
Meanwhile, Army soldiers were patrolling sensitive villages after the violence-torn district was brought under the Unified Command structure. Under the structure, the army is heading the operations with support from the police and the civil administration.
