Welcome move

Amidst the climate of gloom and disagreement between the government and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) comes a positive development on a very contentious issue: discharging disqualified Maoist combatants from the 28 cantonments across the country. We congratulate the political parties for striking a rare agreement to honor an already approved pact at a time when they have been often found to be disagreeing on most mundane of matters.



The process of discharging the disqualified combatants – those who joined the Maoist army after May 25, 2006 and those who were born after that date – is long overdue. It should have begun soon after the verification was completed in late December 2007. Moreover, the Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA) of December 2006 requires that the minors were to be discharged automatically if they were found to be so during registration. UNICEF was ready and still is, to help in the discharge and rehabilitation of over 2,900 minors of the 4008, who have been disqualified. However, intense pressure from Maoist army commanders forced the Maoist party leaders to dilly-dally on the question of discharging those disqualified and the process never began.



The government and the UCPN (Maoist) should also arrive at an agreement to discharge those who joined the Maoist army after May 25, 2006. The onus is on the government as well as the Maoist party to ensure that all the 4,008 disqualified are rehabilitated properly. If necessary, pressure should be put on them if they refuse to accept any of the rehabilitation options which include employment, skill training, farming and higher studies. These are viable options and the disqualified should select from what is on offer.



The success of the discharge and rehabilitation of the disqualified will go a long way in nudging the disagreeing parties toward finding an amicable agreement on the fate of those verified as Maoist combatants which number 19,602. Of course, after the revelation of Maoist chairman’s infamous videotape, this number is questionable despite what UNMIN says in its defense. The latest recommendation by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the UN Security Council to extend UNMIN’s term by a further six months is a bitter pill that we all need to swallow. But we hope this will be the last extension, and by the time UNMIN’s term expires in January 23 next year, the parties will find a lasting solution on the future of the verified Maoist combatants, the sooner the better for the peace process.

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