Violence and political unrest in Nepal’s southern Terai region is threatening the country’s peace process and could bring the Himalayan nation to a state of anarchy, analysts say.
In November 2006, Maoist rebels and the to the seven-party coalition government signed a peace agreement to end a decade-long armed conflict that claimed more than 14,000 lives and internally displaced more than 200,000 Nepalese civilians.
However, increasing demands by ethnic political groups are destabilising the country and posing a challenge to the government and the Maoists. The most dominant ethnic group is the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), whose stronghold is in the Terai, a fertile region in Nepal’s southern plains that is home to nearly half of the country’s 27 million inhabitants.
Over the past three months, the MPRF has organised a series of political demonstrations, strikes and blockades in the Terai region, with demands for greater regional autonomy, proportional representation in the government and more political rights to the ethnic Madhesi group.
Madhesi protests have led to clashes with police and Maoists that have killed more than 40 people and injured many more.
The United Nations Mission to Nepal (UNMIN), which supports the disarmament and peace process in the Himalayan nation, said it was concerned over the lack of security in many parts of the country.
“The killings also underline the urgent need for the MPRF, the MMM and all political groups to clearly and definitively renounce violence in advancing their political causes. The use of violence will only make a truly inclusive national dialogue more difficult,” said Kieran Dwyer, a spokesman for UNMIN.
Fierce encounters
There have been fierce encounters between Madhesi activists and Maoist fighters, with both groups trying to gain political dominance in the Terai.
In the most recent incident, on 21 March, 27 people were killed following clashes between the Maoist-affiliated Madhesi Mukti Morcha (MMM) workers and MPRF activists in Gaur, a town nearly 100km southeast of the capital, Kathmandu.
Political parties, civic groups and aid agencies are concerned that if violence is not controlled, the peace process will be at stake.
“If such incidents recur, then Nepal will face a huge human-made disaster,” said conflict analyst Bishnu Pathak.
But there are fears that violence may escalate following threats by Maoist leaders to avenge the killing of their members in Gaur.
“We will start a war against MPRF if the government fails to meet our demands,” said senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai, whose party has demanded that the MPRF be banned, tagged a terrorist organisation and its leaders be arrested.
“We had not expected such a remark from a party that has joined a democratic parliament,” said Upendra Yadav, leader of the MPRF, adding that the government and Maoists should bear responsibility for the rising violence in the country.
Political analysts and rights activists have criticised the government for the country’s insecurity, saying the situation is leading to a state of anarchy in many parts of Nepal.
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