India, Oct. 26 -- In a significant development in the Northeast insurgency, NSCN (IM) supremo and chief architect of the ongoing peace talks, 91-year-old Thuingaleng Muivah, has returned to Manipur after six decades. After spending a day in the Ukhrul district, he has now gone back to Somdal, his native village.

In Manipur, Nagas are one of the three dominant communities, along with the Meiteis and the Kukis. The Meiteis dominate the state politically and demographically. The Naga hills comprise several tribes within the larger Naga family, with the Tangkhul Naga community particularly strong in Ukhrul being one of the most prominent. Muivah himself belongs to this community.

Born to a Tangkhul Naga family in Ukhrul's Somdal village , M...