Isak Chisi Swu, chairman of the Naga rebel group NSCN-IM, has left for an undisclosed destination abroad, leaving the next round of peace talks with the government in jeopardy.

A source in the NSCN-IM, which has been engaged in peace talks with the government since 1997, said that Swu will attend future peace talks with the government. The NSCN-IM general secretary Th Muivah will lead the rebel group's delegation in the next round of talks, to be held on Wednesday.

The NSCN-IM chairman, who was staying at Camp Hebron near Dimapur, slipped out of the country on October 3 through an unidentified route, much to the surprise of security agencies.

Security sources said that the NSCN-IM top leader might have traveled to Bangladesh through Shillong, the same route he had used when he came to Nagaland last time.

The sudden departure of the NSCN-IM leader has sparked speculations about possible differences that might have cropped up among the top-rung leaders of the rebel group, which has expressed its displeasure over the lack of progress in the peace talks.  The outfit has also accused Indian security forces of fuelling conflicts with its rival group, the NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang. 

The NSCN-K, which has been excluded from the peace negotiations so far, has warned that a lasting solution to the Naga imbroglio was not possible sans its involvement in the peace process.