KATHMANDU - Two years after Maoist fighters put aside their arms and agreed to
place themselves in United Nations-monitored camps, the issue of integrating
them into the regular Nepal Army (NA) as part of a peace process hangs fire.
The NA has resisted the integration into its ranks of these "politically
indoctrinated" combatants they fought bitterly for a decade and are now
quartered in seven main cantonment sites and 21 satellite camps monitored by
the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN).
According to UNMIN, while a total of 32,250 members of the
People's Liberation Army (PLA) were initially registered only 19,602 have been
verified as Maoist combatants - 3,846 of them women.
"Integration of former insurgents is a major outstanding issue at the end of
any armed conflict," UNMIN chief Ian Martin told Inter Press Service. "What is
the future of the people who fought that armed conflict is a central issue and
until it's resolved, a peace process cannot be said to be complete."
Nepal's political parties have so far failed to reach a consensus over the
formation of a special committee on the army-rebel integration as mentioned in
Article 146 of the country's interim constitution.
The ruling parties - the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), the Communist
Party of Nepal -United Marxist Leninist (CN-UML) and the southern plains-based
Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) - did manage to form a committee on October 28.
That committee had two members from CPN-M and one each from CPN-UML, MJF and
the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC).
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), an agreement signed among the parties
on June 25, 2007, clearly gave Maoist combatants the option of joining a state
security structure or leaving the camps with an economic package.
But the influential NC party has opposed the integration. Its leader, Sushil
Koirala, says that while the peace agreement did mention the merger of Maoist
combatants with government security forces, it did not specifically mention the
NA.
UNMIN, which has been closely involved in the peace process, has begun to feel
the heat, and Martin says his organization does not have a particular view on
the plan. "But, because the exit strategy for UNMIN depends on the future of
these combatants, we do want to see this resolved sooner than later, as UNMIN
cannot continue monitoring the arms and armies forever," Martin told IPS.
He added: "Not just me, but member states of the Security Council that want to
see UNMIN come to an end, are extremely concerned that progress on the issue of
integration and rehabilitation has not been more rapid.''
There seem to be differences in perception. "The Maoists' interpretation of
integration of the army is totally different from what had already been agreed
upon during [the signings of] various pacts," said NC leader Minendra Rijal.
Rijal has been demanding better representation for the NC in the special
committee and also wants the tasks of the committee to be agreed on beforehand.
Krishna Bahadur Mahara, minister for information and communication and
government spokesman, said the NC's demand for better representation was an
excuse. "Last year, when the special committee was chaired by an NC leader, we
accepted that proposal. Now, when we have proposed the same level of
representation they are making such a big fuss," he said.
Mahara said the truth was that the NC does not favor integrating the PLA and
the NA. "The special committee is the place where we can discuss all the
modalities of integrating and rehabilitating the PLA," said Mahara. "But the NC
is just being difficult, as they do not want the peace process to reach a
logical end."
Matters came to head on the weekend when army chief Roomangud Katawal insisted
that the military will not ''bear the flag of any particular party”. The NA
also seems ready to push ahead with a fresh recruitment drive, defying orders
from the Defense Ministry.
Prime Minister Prachanda responded by warning the army general that any
violation of the CPA would result in parallel recruitments into the PLA, of
which he continues to be chairman.
On Saturday, NC vice president Ram Chandra Poudel, apparently anticipating that
the government would move to sack Katawal, warned of mass protests should that
happen.
Speaking at the Reporter's Club, Poudel claimed that Maoists were bent on
controlling the army, judiciary and police forces and insisted that the fresh
recruitments to the NA, planned by Katawal, did not violate the peace accord.
However, UNMIN's Martin, in a press statement on December 23, said that new
recruitments by the NA or the PLA would run counter to the CPA and also the
Agreement on Monitoring the Management of Arms and Armies.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
