Nepal: Conflict Profile.
In 2006 a Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended a decade long conflict between the Maoists, the government and monarchy, and a popular pro-democracy uprising in Nepal that claimed over 13,000 lives and displaced thousands more. 2008 elections gave the Maoists a majority in government and, after a 240-year reign, the monarchy was abolished. The situation in Nepal remains fragile, as disparate groups who were previously united for democracy or under the banner of the Maoist insurgency, begin to fragment and regroup around ethnic identities, with the potential to reignite localised conflict. The challenge for the Nepali peace process is to adequately address grievances in an inclusive manner that doesn’t replicate the power structures of previous years.
Image by izahorsky published under a creative commons license
2010 was set to be an important year in the Nepali peace process, following the slow progress in 2009 in implementing the peace agreement and the creation of a new constitution. But even the first days of 2010 were dominated by increased tensions due to Maoists calling for a 3-day general strike, followed by several violent clashes with government supporters. In accordance with these events, 2010 proved to be a year of stalemate. The 28th May deadline for a new constitution was postponed several times, leaving it unfinished up until now, while widespread strikes and protests by Maoists and now also Royalists continued.
After the Prime Minister’s 30th July resignation, due to increasing pressure, the task of finding a successor resulted in a complete political deadlock, lasting for 7 months. Ironically enough, the PM stated in his last speech that his main reason for the resignation was to end the stalemate. Votes after votes were cast, and the situation became more and more intense until finally a change in voting rules at the beginning of 2011 led to a success of the UML party’s candidate Jhala Nath Khanal, who up until now proves to be unable to overcome the stalemate and create a cabinet. The country however is now on its own since the UN mandate ended – after a previous mandate extension until 15th January – and all UMIN troops have left. Nepal’s main political players seem to have realised the delicacy of this new situation and were able to agree on a cross-party committee in charge of all armed forces, including an integration of the 19,000 Maoist ex-combatants.
Despite these improvements, the situation in Nepal remains highly tense, while the struggle for political control is still going on, and major issues such as competing calls from some regions for autonomy, are still outstanding and a final draft of the constitution remains out of sight.The civil war may be over and a truly democratic government in power, but Nepal’s fragile peace continues to be tested.
Photo credit: Leon Meerson
| Conflict. | Resolution. |
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Governance Many in Nepal see a concentration of power in the hands of the urban elite that has led to the systematic exclusion and deprivation of indigenous ethnic groups and the rural population. The Maoist uprising was able to unite these disparate groups in an attempt to overthrow what they saw as a system based on feudalism, gender, caste, & ethnic exclusivity, and regional marginalisation. | — Local peacebuilding is well placed to advocate for inclusive governance and address issues of gender, caste, ethnic and regional marginalisation. — AfP is working to build a peaceful and democratic Nepal — Interface Nepal runs communication campaigns to support the Nepali peace process. — KIRDARC promotes peace, human rights, development and good governance in the Karnali zone of Nepal. — WIGG strive to strengthen the democratic peace process in Nepal. — MIREST-Nepal aims to support democracy through the mass media. — SAC raise young people’s awareness of peace-related issues in Nepal, and mobilise them to run campaigns in their own communities. — Chetana focuses on the promotion of human rights and peace in the mid-western Dang region of Nepal. — KAPINCE-Nepal works at the grassroots of society to promote peaceful, equitable and sustainable development. — HURAC was established to promote and protect human rights – the abuse of which they see as one of the major causes of conflict in Nepal. — INPED aims to protect and promote human rights to support conflict transformation, peacebuilding and development in the Sindhuli district of Nepal. — Malika target social injustice as a major cause of conflict in Nepal. — Sansthagat Bikash Sanjal focuses on developing Nepali Civil Society. — NPC conduct much work in developing a strong democracy in Nepal. |
Poverty Closely connected to marginalisation and exclusivity is the lack of tangible deliverables to the population outside Kathmandu, a large proportion of who live well below the poverty line. Development initiatives have failed to make an impact in the remote regions which remain politically and economically isolated, whilst large swathes of the Nepalese population have no access to resources and no opportunity to influence political decision-making. | — Local peacebuilding can advocate for access and lobby for particular interests, but central government, international donors, and international programmes in Nepal must address this potential cause of conflict. — CeCRED strives to addresses extreme poverty amongst marginalised groups — HURENDEC believes that poverty, and the gap between urban élites and remote rural poor people, are major causes of conflict in Nepal. — Women’s Uplift and Awareness Centre aims to address both the prevalent violence of everyday life, and the poverty which underlies it — PSC works to improve livelihoods, develop self-reliance, and promote human rights. — Samjhauta give local people ownership of development projects in Nepal — SAHAMATI develops local initiatives to raise living standards — Indreni Rural Development Centre promotes education for community empowerment in Nepal. |
Local & Ethnic Conflicts During the conflict many people put the ethnic and cultural differances aside. The peace process may have bought major hostilities to an end, but there still exist local conflicts and the risk that grievances will take on an ethnic or caste ideology. | — By contributing to a strong & vibrant civil society and working to help bridge the divisions created by conflict, local peacebuilding can help to ensure that Nepalese society remains united for national interest, rather than fragmenting into conflict-prone groups. — DDC promotes basic human rights and re-integrating marginalised people — DWO-S works on behalf of the dalit caste in Nepal. — HICODEF aims to empower vulnerable groups through participatory activities — RRF works round the clock to respond to conflict outbreaks — YAPE works directly with local communities in Nepal to develop immediate responses to outbreaks of violence as they occur. — SSDC empowers marginalised and disadvantaged groups economically and socially. — SDPC strives to create peaceful communities in Nepal and address the impacts of conflict by rehabilitating conflict victims, especially women and children. — HUDEP documents and disseminates information regarding missing person cases, mostly connected to the armed conflict in Nepal — Imagine works with school children to address the effects of the recent violence in Nepal. |
