ConflictBarometer_2016

ASIA AND OCEANIA
Militant Bodos, mainly the National Democratic Front of
Bodoland I.K. Songbijit faction (NDFB-S), did not conduct violent
attacks on other communities but continued their armed
fight for an independent Bodoland [→ India (ULFA-I et al. /
Assam)].
On February 3, members of the newly formed Moran Tiger
Force (MTF) fired at an Adivasi politician's house in Tinsukia
district, Assam, urging the so-called tea tribe Adivasi population
to leave the state and to refrain from contesting in
the regional assembly elections in April. In response, more
than 200 Adivasi staged a protest march against the MTF the
following day. On August 5, a suspected member of NDFB-
S shot 14 people dead at a market at Balajan in Kokrajhar,
eponymous district, Assam, injuring at least 15. NDFB-S denied
any involvement in the attack, while the nationalist student
union Hindu Yuva Chatra Parishad suggested an Islamist
background. Consequently, the state government deployed
900 soldiers and paramilitary forces to protect the region.
Throughout the year, self-proclaimed representatives of
mainly Adivasi, Assamese and Bodos, carried out non-violent
protests against Bangladeshi immigrants.
All Assam Students' Union (AASU), All Bodo Students' Union
(ABSU) and over 25 other Assamese organizations staged
protests, hunger-strikes and torch rallies against immigration
and the Indian government's notification from September
2015 to regularize the status of non-Muslim illegal immigrants
from Bangladesh who had experienced religious persecution.
The right-wing organization Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM) organized
a signature campaign, demanding the deportation of
Bangladeshi immigrants. ULFA-I called for the Assamese people
to unite against immigration in a declaration in November.
Also local newspapers published various articles using agitative
language.
As in previous years, ethnic groups of Koch-Rajbongshi, Santhal,
Tai Ahom, Bodo, and Tiwa continuously staged several
demonstrations for the enhancement of their rights, more autonomy
or the acknowledgement as ST.
Organizations representing groups who already had ST status
opposed these protests in multiple declarations. For instance,
All Dimasa Students' Union, Karbi Students' Union and other
Karbi organizations opposed the government's move to grant
ST status to ethnic Bodos in two hill districts in Assam on January
23. juh
INDIA (KASHMIR)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1947
Conflict parties: HM, HuM, JeM, LeT, TuM, local
protesters vs. government
Conflict items:
secession, autonomy
Overall, 104 alleged HM, LeT, and JeM militants, 70 security
personnel, and at least 51 civilians were killed in the conflict,
the latter mostly during violent protests. Several violent
encounters took place between alleged militants and security
forces throughout the year. All violent incidents occurred
in J&K state. For instance, on February 22, after a 48-
hour armed encounter in Pampore, Pulwama district, soldiers
killed three LeT militants that had taken over an official building
and killed five security personnel and one civilian. In a
joint operation on May 21, army forces and J&K police killed
five JeM militants in Drugmulla village, Kupwara district, while
the militants injured two soldiers. On June 25, LeT militants
killed eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers and
wounded 20 in an attack on a convoy in Pulwama district. Additionally,
CRPF killed two militants in a retaliatory fire.
The killings of militants during violent encounters with security
forces repeatedly led to clashes between the latter and
local protesters. Clashes increased significantly after security
forces killed HM commander Burhan Wani and two associates
in the Kokernag area, Anantnag district on July 8. The
next day, up to 30,000 people, mostly local youths, joined
Wani's funeral procession in Tral, Pulwama district. On the
same day, violent clashes between security forces and local
protesters erupted across Kashmir Valley. The former mostly
used sticks, tear gas shells, and pellet guns against the stonepelting
protesters. Protests and clashes continued for at least
three months, in which reportedly at least 46 and up to 78
civilians were killed, while several thousand were injured.
In July, the Indian government deployed at least 2,800 additional
army troops to J&K while curfews were imposed repeatedly
in large parts of Kashmir Valley from July to September.
On July 13, over 200 government employees belonging
to the local Hindu minority of the Kashmiri Pandits, fled
to Jammu district, alleging attacks by protesters and failure
of security forces to protect them [→ India (Hindu – Muslims)].
On September 18, JeM militants attacked an army
base in Uri, Baramulla district, killing 19 soldiers. Several
hours later, army personnel killed four militants in a
nearby shootout. Subsequent to the Uri attack, which the
Indian government blamed on militants allegedly supported
by Pakistan, Indian soldiers reportedly crossed the LoC into
Pakistan-administered J&K on September 28, conducting targeted
strikes against border-crossing militants [→ Pakistan –
India]. On November 29, suspected LeT militants disguised
as policemen stormed an army base in Nagrota, Jammu district,
and killed seven soldiers. The militants took security
personnel and civilians hostage for several hours until soldiers
stormed the buildings, rescuing the hostages and killing
three militants.
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INDIA (NAGAS – KUKIS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1992
The secession conflict in the Indian-administered state of
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) between Hizbul Mujahideen (HM),
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Tehreek-ul-
Mujahideen (TuM), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), and local
protesters, on the one hand, and the Indian government, on
the other hand, continued as a violent crisis.
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Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
NSCN-IM, Nagas vs. KIM, Kukis
subnational predominance
The conflict over subnational predominance between indigenous
Naga groups, such as the militant National Socialist