Formed on April 30, 1988, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) is the largest and most formidable of the ethnic Naga separatist groups in northeastern India. <P><br /><br />The Naga people are a mainly Christian ethnic group that inhabits the northeastern Indian states of Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as parts of Burma.  Fiercely independent, the Naga have waged a decades-long insurgency against India, which has led to thousands of deaths on both sides. <P><br /><br />After the foundation of independent India in 1947, Naga tribes, who had previously tolerated British rule, refused to join the newly established Indian Union.  Under the Naga National Council (NNC), which was formed in 1946 to agitate for independence, Naga separatists waged war against the Indian army.  These insurgents demanded an independent state of greater Nagaland comprising all Naga-inhabited areas (at the time these areas were all located within the Indian state of Assam or in Burma.)  In 1956, the NNC founded the underground Naga Federal Government (NFG), which led the Indian government to step up counter-insurgency actions.  This crackdown sapped the strength of the insurgents, and in 1960, representatives of the NNC signed an agreement with the Indian government, in which a separate state of Nagaland would be formed from the state of Assam.  This state would not be independent, but would be a part of the Indian Union.  <P><br /><br />Numerous extremists within the NNC rejected the 1960 agreement and continued their armed campaign.  In 1975, after incurring heavy losses from the Indian Army, most NNC rebels agreed to lay down their arms and accept Indian sovereignty by signing the Shillong Accord.  Again, certain extremists in the Naga camp rejected peace with India, and shortly after the accord was signed, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was formed to continue the armed struggle for Naga independence.  <P><br /><br />The NSCN was the direct predecessor of the NSCN-IM.  Founded in 1980 by Isak Chisi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang, the NSCN was dedicated to an independent Nagaland based on an odd mix of Maoist ideology and Christian spirituality.  <P><br /><br />In 1988, disputes between the three leaders led to yet another split amongst the group. This led to the formation of the NSCN-IM under the leadership of Swu and Muivah, and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) with Khalpang at the helm.  From this point on the NSCN-IM would fight not only the Indian army, but its Naga rivals as well. <P><br /><br />Since its establishment, the NSCN-IM has been responsible for numerous acts of terrorism against the Indian Army, other ethnic groups in the region, and Nagas opposed to the NSCN-IM. Thousands died in a mid-1990s conflict between the NSCN-IM and ethnic Kuki peoples in Nagaland and Manipur state, and recent clashes between NSCN-IM and NSCN-K have also led to many deaths.  While the NSCN-IM claims to be fighting the Indian government to liberate the Naga people, frequent violence toward other ethnic militias and non-combatants diminish NSCN-IM's credibility as a group of so-called "freedom fighters." <P><br /><br />In fact, the NSCN-IM, beyond waging its own militant campaign against India, has supported many other ethnic separatist groups in the northeast.  The NSCN-IM has been linked to numerous insurgent outfits including the United Liberation Front of Assam, the National Liberation Front of Tripura, the Kuki National Front, and the Achik National Volunteers Council.  For their part, the NSCN-IM has previously been supported by China and has alleged links to the Pakistani ISI.  In addition, the group finances itself through the lucrative drug trade in Burma as well as other criminal enterprises such as extortion and bank robbery. <P><br /><br />In 1997, the NSCN-IM entered a cease-fire with the Indian government. This cease-fire has been renewed multiple times (most recently in July 2005), but despite ongoing negotiations between successive Indian governments and NSCN-IM leadership, no concrete peace deal has been reached and sporadic violence continues in Naga-inhabited areas.<br />