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Gauhati: Several commanders of a leading separatist group in India's restive northeast announced a ceasefire on Wednesday and called for an end to their 30-year rebellion, separatist leaders and government officials said.
Authorities called the battalion's truce offer a “positive development" but it was unclear whether the cease-fire signaled a possible end to the fighting or merely an internal split in rebel leadership.
The United Liberation Front of Asom, or ULFA, has been the most prominent of the many rebel groups fighting for an independent homeland in the state of Assam since 1979. The 12 commanders who announced the cease-fire belong to the ULFA's deadliest squad, the 28th battalion.
"We have decided to call a cease-fire to facilitate restoration of peace in Assam state," said an ULFA statement. "We have respect for the people's cherished desire for peace and an end to violence."
Assam state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi welcomed their call.
"We welcome the decision by the ULFA leaders to call a cease-fire, and the move to start peace talks with the government of India will help to restore peace in Assam," he said in a statement, calling on other ULFA leaders to join the peace process.
No details of possible peace talks were released and the rebel group's central leadership has not commented on the battalion's truce.
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