The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)’s pro-talks faction on Friday signed a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement with the Centre and the Assam government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah here.

A 29-member delegation of the ULFA’s pro-talks faction, including 16 ULFA members and 13 from civil society, signed the agreement.

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This pact is significant as the banned ULFA-Independent is the only major insurgent outfit left in the State after the ULFA pro-talks faction signed the agreement with the Centre and the Assam government.

Home Minister Amit Shah said Friday was a landmark day for Assam. For a long time, the State had suffered violence, the whole of North-East in reality. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014, efforts have been made to reduce the distance between the North East and Delhi.

Talks began with an open heart to make the North-East extremism-free, violence-free and conflict-free, he said. In the last five years, nine peace and border dispute resolution agreements were signed for different States in the North-East, and peace was established in a large part of the region.

He said more than 9,000 cadres surrendered, and AFSPA is being taken out of 85 per cent of Assam. With Friday’s pact, he said: “We have been able to bring to an end all armed groups in Assam.” This would not have been possible without Mr Modi’s vision, he said. All commitments under the pact will be met, he added.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Today is a historic day for Assam. During PM Modi’s tenure, under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, work for Assam’s peace was always underway…three accords have been signed and with the three accords, tribal militancy has come to an end in Assam.”

The separatist ULFA was formed in April 1979 in the aftermath of an agitation against undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan).

It split into two groups in February 2011 with the Arabinda Rajkhowa-led faction giving up violence and agreeing to unconditional talks with the government. Paresh Baruah, who leads the other rebranded ULFA-Independent faction, is against the talks.

The pro-talks faction has sought constitutional and political reforms for the protection of the identity and resources of Assam’s indigenous people, including their right to land. The Union government in April sent it a draft agreement. An earlier round of talks between the two sides was held in Delhi in August.

A series of talks with concerned officials in the Central government took place since the delegation arrived in Delhi on 26 December before the signing of the pact.

The Union government has signed peace deals with rebel Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, and Adivasi outfits in Assam over the last three years.