New Delhi: A Naga leader, who fought for independent Nagaland for more than three decades, died on June 28 following multi-organ failure in a hospital in New Delhi. He was 87.

Isak Chishi Swu, founder-member and chairperson of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah, NSCN-IM), was undergoing treatment at Fortis Hospital since July 5, 2015, Nagaland government spokesperson Kuolie Mere told reporters. He died at 12.40 pm.

He was also the president of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim.

He was born in 1929 in Chishilimi, a village in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland. A Baptist Christian, he belonged to the Sumi tribe. His body will be taken to his native place June 29 for last rites.

Swu along with the NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah formed the group in 1980 opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the Indian government for bringing peace in Nagaland. Swu had joined the NNC in the 1950s and served it in different capacities till its split in 1980.

Over the years, the NSCN-IM had been accused of indulging in killings, extortion and other subversive activities. Its persistent demand for separation from the country led to military clamp down on the group. In 1997, the NSCN-IM entered into a truce with the Indian government, for peace in Nagaland and since then had been continuing dialogue with government emissaries.

In August last year, the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement with the government which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a “historic” step. The pact was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and national security adviser Ajit Doval and government’s interlocutor R. N. Ravi at the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi.

The pact was signed after over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.

Swu’s death is a big setback for the Naga community.

“He is no longer with us. We mourn the death of an honest leader in Naga history. He spent all his life for the cause of Nagas. May His soul rest in peace,” wrote the Naga Mirror.

As the news spread, many Nagas took to the social media platform to condole the death of their great leader.

“May his soul rest in peace with the Lord. Nagas for generations will continue to be inspired by his exemplary life and commitment to the cause of the Nagas,” one wrote, while another wrote: “Rest in peace our respected leader. Your sacrifice for the Nagas will not be forgotten. It is a great lost for the Nagas at this crucial hour of Indo-Naga talk.”

With his passing away, the final agreement between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) remains uncertain. It was earlier reported that the agreement would not be signed till Swu recovered, and NSCN leaders were not sure who would sign the agreement in his absence.

Swu with Thuingaleng Muivah and SS Khaplang founded the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on January 31, 1980. Following a discord, the group split into two factions, the NSCN-K led by Khaplang, and the NSCN-IM led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.