Nepal risks new civil war
The only Christian member of the committee set up to monitor the ceasefire between the government and Maoists warned that the two parties were "shamelessly violating" the June accord: "If the scheduled talks fail, the guerrilla war will resume in the cities".
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) Nepal is in danger of sliding back into violent civil war. Warning of this perilous possibility came from KV Rokaya, the only Christian member of the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (CMC) set up last month by the government in agreement with the Maoist rebels.
Rokaya yesterday revealed his concerns during a meeting on peace in Kathmandu, saying the terms of the ceasefire signed on 1 May after King Gyanendra ceded power to the seven-party alliance (SPA) were being "shamefully" violated.
The Christian leader, who is also vice president of an interfaith dialogue forum called "Inter Religious Council" of Nepal, is convinced that the problem lies in the "increasing lack of mutual trust between the SPA and the Maoists". He said: "Both sides are gradually violating the agreements. The eight-point-accord signed on 16 August by Premier Girja Prasad Koirala and by the leader of the ex-Maoist rebels, Prachanda, may never be applied and respected". Among other things, the agreement stipulates that the government and guerrillas should lay down their arms but according to the Christian both sides "are shamefully violating it".
Rokaya is voicing the concerns of the entire CMC, "seriously worried about political developments in Nepal and discerning a spiral of violence among the people, who however want peace." He warned: "If talks fail, the Maoists would begin an urban-centered war, which would largely affect people living in cities and would be more violent than ever."
The Christian said "justice for all the oppressed, marginalized people and for diverse ethnic and religious groups" was a necessary condition for "lasting" peace. In May, Nepal, a "Hindu kingdom" was declared a lay state.
Vijay Kant Karna, a Hindu activist, described as "frightening" the warning of Rokaya on the risk of civil war: "Being a member of a constitutional body, he has access to more inside information and feedback about the real situation."
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