The accord, expected soon, could formally end nearly three decades of Hmar insurgency across Mizoram’s Kolasib, Aizawl Rural and Saitual districts. The Sanate faction has just 25–30 active cadres, and the agreement aims to reintegrate them into mainstream society and restore lasting peace.
BY PC Bureau
December 6, 2025: In a major step toward ending decades of insurgency in northern Mizoram, Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced on Friday that his government is close to finalising a peace agreement with the Lalhmingthanga Sanate faction of the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) — the last remaining armed Hmar outfit still operating outside the mainstream.
The announcement came during his address at the Sikpui Ruoi festival, the Hmar community’s most important winter harvest celebration, organised by the Hmar Students’ Association (HSA) at Saipum Hall in Kolasib district, around 85 km north of Aizawl.
“We have held several rounds of talks with the Sanate faction and we are very close to signing a peace agreement,” Lalduhoma told a packed gathering of community leaders, church elders, and students. “Our aim is to help the cadres return to normal life and restore complete peace, especially in the Hmar-dominated areas of Kolasib, Aizawl Rural, and Saitual.”
The Sanate faction, which broke away from the original HPC(D) in 2018, has been operating from hideouts in Assam’s Cachar district. Though its influence has waned in recent years, the group is still accused of occasional extortion and intimidation in pockets of northern Mizoram. Security agencies estimate it has no more than 25–30 active cadres at present.
If concluded, this will be the second major accord with an HPC(D) splinter group in seven years. In 2018, the then Mizo National Front government signed a suspension-of-operations pact with the Biakvela faction — an agreement that eventually paved the way for the creation of the Sinlung Hills Council (SHC) in 2023, an autonomous district council for 273 Hmar and allied villages.
Switching between Hmar and Mizo, Lalduhoma urged the community to play a leading role in strengthening tribal unity across the state. “The Hmar people have always been known for their education, discipline, and deep Christian faith,” he said. “This is the moment to become bridge-builders and unite all sections of Mizo society.”
The Chief Minister praised the HSA as “one of the oldest and most respected student bodies in the Northeast,” acknowledging its decades-long contributions to education, social service, and cultural preservation since its founding in 1939.
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On development, Lalduhoma highlighted the Bana Kaih (Handholding Farmers) initiative, which he said has provided financial assistance and market support to over 1.2 lakh farmers in the past two years. He also claimed that the ZPM government has created over 8,000 new government jobs since taking office in December 2023 — significantly higher than previous regimes.
He was accompanied at the event by Assembly Speaker Lalbiakzama, Revenue Minister B. Lalchhanzova, several MLAs from northern districts, and senior officials from the Home and Education departments, underscoring the administration’s commitment to peace-building and inclusive development.
If the peace pact is finalised in the coming weeks as expected, it would effectively end nearly three decades of intermittent Hmar militancy in Mizoram and further strengthen its standing as one of India’s most peaceful states. For the ZPM government, which came to power promising clean governance and rapid development, bringing the last armed faction into the fold would mark a significant political and administrative milestone.
