LibriumArcana.Games

eparatist rebels in north-east India have extended a ceasefire with the government but say they are concerned with the progress of peace talks.

Rebels of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) extended the ceasefire by six months instead of the usual 12.

A spokesman said they were no closer to a deal than when talks began in 1997.

The Naga rebellion - India's oldest ethnic conflict - spanned 40 years before the negotiations started.

The rebels have been campaigning for a separate homeland for the Naga tribe in the north-east.

Communique

NSCN leader, Thuingaleng Muivah, told the BBC from Amsterdam, where talks are being held, that "negotiations for the sake of it cannot continue".

Indian soldier in Manipur
A number of north-eastern states oppose the rebels' demands

"We feel we are no closer to a settlement than we were in 1997. We cannot continue talks unless we feel we are going towards a settlement," he said.

Nevertheless, the rebels and Indian government representatives did issue a joint communique at the end of their two-day talks, talking of the "need to extend the ceasefire and to intensify the peace process".

The rebels want a separate homeland in areas covering parts of the north-eastern states of Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

But the demand has been fiercely opposed by the states, Manipur in particular.

The Naga insurgency split in 1975. One group signed a peace agreement with the federal government but hardliners, including Mr Muivah, pursued their armed campaign until 1997.

Thousands have died in the long insurgency.