Two weeks after the death of NSCN(K) chairman, the outfit has unanimously elected veteran Naga insurgent leader Khango Konyak to lead the outfit as its chairman.
The NSCN(K) made the official announcement on Thursday and said that all the leaders of the outfit had unanimously elected the 74-year-old Konyak as the NSCN(K) chairman on Tuesday at the outfit's camp in Myanmar. Former NSCN(K) chairman SS Khaplang died due to ailments at Taga region of Mynamar on June 9 this year. Born on July 17, 1943 at Yangkhao village and christened Bechung Khango, Konyak had been associated with the Naga insurgency for a long time. He had joined the Naga insurgency when he was only 20-years-old. Khango, who is rather known for his stand against the peace talks, had also visited east Pakistan and led a team of 50 cadre to China under the guidance of Isak Chishi Swu and Th. Muivah in 1976. The group, who took the journey on foot reached China in 1977.
Khango had served as the chairman Konyak region in 1989 and on April 30, 2011 appointed as kilo (Home) kilonser (Minister) and then elevated to vice chairman in 2011. The veteran Naga insurgent leader remained strongly associated with former Chairman SS Khaplang even during the outfit's worst internal crisis in 1988, 2011 and 2015.