Protocol Violated? German Envoy Comments On Naga Conflict At G20 Meeting In Kohima

German Consul General in Kolkata, Manfred Auster, commented on India’s internal affairs at a G20 Business meeting (called ‘B20’) in Nagaland’s state capital Kohima last week. 

The German envoy was encouraged to make those comments after five very influential Naga organisations--the Naga Hoho, Naga Mothers’ Association, Naga Students’ Federation, Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights and Global Naga Forum--sought to draw the attention of international delegates to the B20 meet to the ongoing ‘Naga political issue’.

Representatives of these five organisations held up a large banner that read: “Nagas Had No Conflict With Any Other Nations Till Indian Military Invaded And Occupied Our Country”. This banner was seen by all delegates to the B20 meeting in Kohima (read this). 

But while all other foreign delegates--there were 64 foreign delegates from 29 nations--chose to ignore the attempt to draw international attention to a domestic issue, the German envoy couldn’t resist the temptation to comment on the issue.

Auster started off by delivering a homily: “The fact that the Government of India was inviting us to Nagaland despite some ongoing demands from civil societies that we could have read about in the papers is a sign of maturity of Indian democracy. It is really good that we are here and that we are reading and learning from the Nagas about the situation here and about the ongoing negotiations and about the will on all sides to find a solution”.  

What Auster chose to ignore was that he was in Kohima to only attend the B20 meeting and not to “learn” about the situation in Nagaland.

Auster’s statement about “reading and learning from the Nagas about the situation here” was, say observers, a response to the appeal by the five Naga bodies to the international community to “intervene in the violations of human rights in Naga country”.

Representatives of the five bodies made this appeal. They also urged the international delegates to “recognise the legitimate political, social, economic and religious rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People”.

The five bodies said in their appeal that the Naga people are an “independent indigenous nation”. “The Indian armed forces have been occupying our land ever since its military aggression in 1954. Our Nation is militarised and subjected to political and social suppression and most dehumanising oppression. Left with no option but to defend our political, social, religious and economic rights, we have resorted to confront and resist the occupational military forces of India and Burma. This war has ever since continued in the midst of two ceasefires,” the five bodies claimed. 

Stating that the Nagas “live in constant fear and trauma of a never-ending nightmare”, the five bodies said: “Our Churches are desecrated and have been made concentration camps. Our women and daughters are molested and raped. Our wives and daughters are subjected to give birth in public”. 

These claims and allegations are false, but the German envoy indirectly acknowledged them. 

Then came the uncalled-for sermon by Auster: “For Germany, it is clear that the rule of law has to prevail and that is a very good basis for solving conflict, probably the only basis for coming to lasting solutions and that is the case everywhere-domestically and in international relations”. 

Auster said that it was his second visit to Nagaland. The first was in 2021 to attend the state’s Hornbill Festival which he described as “mind boggling” (watch this video recording of his speech). 

But here, too, he could not resist the temptation of making a snide comment. “But in 2021, unfortunately, that festival was cut short. It found a tragic ending with the killing of 14 civilians in Mon province by the botched action of special forces,” the German envoy said. 

He was referring to the tragic deaths of 14 civilians who were mistaken for terrorists by Indian Army’s Special Forces on December 4, 2021. 

Auster's comments clearly violated protocol by commenting on the Naga issue which is a purely domestic one. The Government of India and various Naga groups, including the militant outfit NSCN, are engaged in talks to resolve the issue.

Nagaland had been wracked by insurgency and a lot of bloodshed since the mid 1950s till a ceasefire agreement between New Delhi and the NSCN in August 1997 ushered in an uneasy peace.

The long and tortuous negotiations are now stuck on the NSCN’s insistence on a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas. New Delhi has ruled out the possibility of meeting these two demands. 

The fact that Auster, who was in Nagaland to attend the B20 meet where the exclusive focus was on exploring business and investment opportunities in the Northeast, opted to comment on the Naga issue constituted a direct attempt on his part to endorse the demands of the Nagas. 

The German envoy’s comments, say observers, will serve as an encouragement to seditious forces. The Naga groups which held up the banner were successful in internationalising the Naga issue, thanks to the German envoy. 

The comments by the German envoy, which have not drawn national attention till now, comes close on the heels of his country making another remark on India’s internal affairs that angered New Delhi. 

Berlin chose to comment on a court in Gujarat convicting Rahul Gandhi of criminal defamation and sentencing him to two years in prison. 

Germany had said that it had taken note of the case and “expects that the standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will apply”.

A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson had said at a media briefing: “We have taken note of the verdict of the first instance against the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. To our knowledge, Rahul Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict. An appeal will show whether the verdict stands and whether suspension has a basis. We expect standards of judicial independence and democratic principles to be applied”.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had tweeted: ““Thank you Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker for taking note of how Democracy is being compromised in India through persecution of Rahul Gandhi”. 

That triggered a slugfest between the BJP and the Congress. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi remarked last week: “I am not sure what they seek to achieve by such comments. Certainly, India is not waiting for their views or validation, nor do such comments matter for the functioning of the Indian systems and institutions”. 

Bagchi’s snub to Germany came a day after Auster’s uncalled-for remarks in Kohima. But Auster’s have gone unnoticed and did not cause any outrage since they were not reported in the national media.