Nepal
2008: Facts on the Conflict
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Nepal
Situation Overview 09 Nov - 31 Dec 2007
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January
2008 (OCHA)
Highlights:
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Consultations between the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) breaks political deadlock
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Terai based Legislators pull out of government, Parliament
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Political
re-alignment in Terai underway
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Security concerns in the Terai persist with new reports of extortion, threats
and abductions
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CPN-Maoist steps up extortion drive countrywide
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The
second phase of registration of CPN-Maoist combatants completed
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Resignations by VDC Secretaries continue to affect the 'reach of state'
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Humanitarian and Development actors continue to face access challenges
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Displacements
reported in Eastern Nepal
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IASC 2008 Appeal completed
CONTEXT
Politics
and Major Developments
On
19 November, the winter session of Interim parliament met but adjourned
to 29 November to give time for more negotiations and consensus on constitutional
and political issues.
Citing
failure of the government to address issues affecting their community,
four members of parliament from the Madhesi Community, including a cabinet
minister affiliated with different political parties resigned from their
positions. Further, five more central leaders, members of Nepali Congress,
CPM-UML and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSPAnandidevi) also resigned from their
respective parties. The politicians stated that they would soon form a
Madhesi regional political party, a move that was widely welcomed by other
groups operating in the Terai. During the same period, Madhesi Peoples
Rights Forum (MPRF) leaders issued threats to the government that the MPRF
would launch fresh protest programmes by 30 December unless the government
implements the 22 point accord it had signed earlier with the MPRF.
During
the reporting period, political forces continued to merge and create new
fronts, especially in the Terai region. Notable among these developments
was the emergence of youths of Madhesh Raksha Bahini affiliated to Nepal
Sadhbhavana Party (Mahato) who marched in uniform in the main market areas
of Birgunj in Parsa District as well as Nepalgunj in Banke District during
the re-launch of the youth movement under the leadership of Rajendra Mahato.
Political alignment between NSP (Mahato) and MPRF (Yadav) also continued
to take shape during the reporting period. This alignment has become known
as United Madhesi Front. On 14 December the Mahato faction of the NSP-A
filed an application with the Election Commission for the registration
of a new party under the name of Sadbhavana Party, dropping Nepal from
the name to distinguish itself from the Anandevi faction.
The
Prime Minister expressed commitment to hold the CA election by mid April
2008 and to continued consultations with the main political parties to
reach agreement towards this end.
On
14 December, after considerable inter-party consultations, the three main
political parties; NC, UML and CPN-Maoist reached a consensus on an amendment
of the interim constitution to specify that the future constitution should
be for a republic, subject to endorsement by the first sitting of the issue
of electoral system to be used during the CA election.
Consultations
were finalized on 23 December when the Seven Party Alliance signed a 23-point
agreement. The agreement provided for the declaration of a republic subject
to implementation by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly, a mixed
electoral system with 60% of the members of the CA to be elected through
proportional system and 40% through first-past-the-post system, and an
increase in number of seats in the Constituent Assembly (CA) from the current
497 to 601 members. Moreover, it was decided that several committees for
the implementation of previous agreements would be formed within a month
and that the CA election would be held before mid-April 2008. The CPN-Maoist
would rejoin the interim government with immediate effect. The agreement
further vested all the executive powers on the Prime Minister and asked
the PM to act as head of state until the implementation of the republican
declaration. The Interim Constitution will likely be amended to reflect
the points reached in this agreement.
The
second phase of registration and verification of CPN-Maoist combatants
at the remaining cantonment sites were completed. According to the Agreement
on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA), the combatants
identified as minors or post 26 May 2006 recruits through the verification
process will be discharged.
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Refugees
in Nepal: Bacchu Rokaya and her children at an IDP camp in Rajhena of Nepalgunj
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Source:ReliefWeb
2008
Copyright
© UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA2007
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