Oil exploration only after resolving Assam-Nagaland border disputes: Konyak Union

The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak Naga community, has asked the Nagaland government to proceed with the joint oil exploration with Assam only after the long-pending border disputes between the two States are resolved.

The union insisted that territorial clarity, landowners’ consent, and stronger border security must precede the implementation of the bilateral agreement. The border dispute between the two States has claimed more than 150 lives since the 1960s, when Nagaland was carved out of Assam.

The Konyak Union’s advisory board council and the union executive council recently reviewed the June 11 memorandum of understanding on oil exploration signed by the governments of Assam and Nagaland in New Delhi. The agreement was inked in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a statement on July 14, the Konyak Union said that the Nagaland government should first resolve disputed areas, particularly the Tizit-Naginimora belt and the boundary between Longwa in Nagaland’s Mon district and Pongchao in Arunachal Pradesh’s Longding district, before initiating oil exploration to avoid future disputes.

It also urged the government to ensure that the concerns, rights, and consent of landowners are taken into consideration before any final decision is made, maintaining that stakeholder participation is essential for a fair, transparent, and acceptable outcome.

The Konyak Union also backed the recent stand of a Lotha Naga organisation, which sought clarity on the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) and other border issues to safeguard Nagaland’s territorial integrity.

Expressing concern over unresolved boundary issues in Mon district, the union alleged that Google Maps continues to inaccurately depict parts of Nagaland’s borders despite historical evidence defining the ancestral boundary between the Konyaks and the Ahoms of Assam.

It also pointed to alleged overlaps involving ancestral boundaries between Konyak villages in Mon district and Wancho areas in Arunachal Pradesh, stating that these discrepancies have created confusion and could potentially trigger confrontation.

Hoping that the government would address its concerns with seriousness and urgency, the Konyak Union reminded it of a memorandum dated July 12, 2025, regarding various issues to safeguard the borders and prevent cross-border influx.