ABSTRACT
The insurgents especially favoured the routes including two junctions, one connecting Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, and the other tying Mizoram with the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the Chin Hills of Myanmar some of which are sparsely populated and offer the needed vegetation. Although the Indian army has been able to seal these routes, at least partially, by surprise attacks, as well as some synchronizing with the Myanmar authorities which have launched operations against the Chins, Kachins, Karens and Shans, the lasting solution is in the further recognition of their identities and more economic opportunities. There have been some accords with local groups; the key to peace, however, lies not in merely signing them, but in rapid economic development, and in understanding tribal psychology.
