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Thousands of displaced people are fearful of returning to their homes in the Terai region of southern Nepal, after ethnic clashes forced them to flee nearly two weeks ago, local human rights activists told IRIN. They say they have not received sufficient guarantees of their security.
After the assassination of prominent Madhesi leader Moid Khan on 16 September, rival ethnic Madhesi and Pahade groups clashed, leaving over 350 houses and shops destroyed in more than six villages and over 30 people killed in Kapilvastu District in the Terai, according to Nepal’s Home Ministry.
Rights activists and humanitarian workers are concerned that Pahade and Madhesi civilians continue to suffer, as over 6,000 of them are displaced, according to a leading local rights group, the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC).
“The Madhesi as well as the Pahade displaced families are desperate to return home but they want assurances of proper security,” said rights worker Madhu Panthi. He said the displaced had not received any guarantees from the government that they would be protected on their return.
Senior government officials have said they have dispatched more armed police to ensure their safe return, and provided aid and compensation through the help of international aid agencies.
Over 2,000 Madhesis are reluctant to return to their homes from Uttar Pradesh in India, and over 4,000 Pahade villagers have been unable to return, and taken refuge in school buildings, tented camps and police stations, according to INSEC.
About 10 local and international humanitarian organisations, including UN agencies, have been supplying food, plastic sheeting, medicines and clothes to the displaced families.
But local and international aid workers agree the situation remains tense.
Aid workers are hesitant to publicise their concerns, fearing their statements could be misinterpreted by extremist groups, such as radical Madhesi political groups and the Maoists’ Young Communist League (YCL).
“Even humanitarian workers are affected by the tension and have not been given any guarantees of their safety while carrying out their work,” said an international aid worker requesting anonymity.
Home Ministry officials told IRIN the ministry had allocated US$200,000 in emergency aid for the victims of the Kapilvastu violence, mostly the displaced.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
