Civilians living in terror - HRW

The international watchdog group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed serious concerns on Friday about the impact on civilians of the violent conflict between the state and Maoist rebels that has claimed over 13,000 lives since 1996.

“The space for civilians has reduced dramatically. The civil war has engulfed every area of the country,” said Saman Zia-Zarifi, Deputy Director of HRW’s Asia division, who is in the country with his team on a three-week mission.

Since the insurgents launched their armed insurrection 10 years ago, the rebellion has expanded from one small district in western Nepal to many rural parts of the country. State counter-insurgency sweeps often net civilians – who are accused of supporting the rebels.

The HRW team also voiced concerns about the rise of anti-Maoist vigilante groups. “There is evidence of the government sponsoring and providing arms to these groups,” said HRW emergencies researcher Anna Neistat, who has travelled to several districts where these groups are operating.

The team said that during the four-month Maoist unilateral ceasefire that began in September 2005, thousands of children were abducted by the rebels. Many have now been trained as soldiers and have been deployed against security forces and used to plant bombs and mines.

HRW will share its factual assessment with delegates attending the 66th United Nations Commission on Human Rights on Monday in Geneva. The commission is to be replaced this year by the newly created Human Rights Council.