NEPAL: BACKGROUND

GENERAL INFORMATION
The Kingdom of Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan country in South Asia, bordering the People’s Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east, and west. Nepal is the world’s only Hindu state and over 80% of the population follows this faith. For most of its history, Nepal has been ruled by a hereditary monarchy or ruling family, largely isolated from the rest of the world. This system of rule lasted for centuries until King Birendra was pressured by opposition parties to implement sweeping political reforms in 1990. The political structure changed and a parliamentary monarchy was created with the king as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. Nepal’s longstanding history of continuity of rule and relative stability was challenged during this time, when the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (pro-democracy movement) was formally established on February 18, 1990. The goal of the pro-democracy movement was to establish a more representative democracy, but it was accompanied by violent demonstrations and political unrest. Since democratic politics were introduced in 1991, the system has been divided by many factions with frequent changes of government during the last decade.

NEPAL’S ECONOMY:
In addition to the political instability in Nepal, the economic situation is dire. Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world and roughly 1/3 of its population currently lives below the poverty line, especially in the rural areas. Agriculture is the foundation of the economy, accounting for 38% of GDP and providing livelihood for ¾ of the population. The internal conflict has also impacted tourism, a key source of income that centers mainly on visitors to Mt. Everest. Prospects for foreign investment are also low because of the small economy, poor development, and the civil war situation (CIA World Factbook).



NEPAL’S INTERNAL CONFLICT:
For the past decade, Nepal has suffered from political, social, and economic hardships, which have been made worse by an ongoing and violent Maoist rebellion. Revolutionary communism has all but disappeared in the world, yet Nepal’s Maoist rebels continue to gain strength. The wavering constitutional democracy created following the 1990 People’s Movement is on the verge of collapse due to continued success of the Maoist guerrilla insurgency, or the “People’s War”, that was launched in 1996 by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist). The CPN is a Maoist group heavily modeled on Peru's Sendero Luminoso, better known as the Shining Path. The CPN's goals are to end the Nepalese monarchy and replace it with a Maoist People’s Republic, and to put an end to capitalist exploitation, the caste system, and ethnic, religious, and linguistic exploitation. Beginning in 1996 as a small group of insurgents, the movement has continually gained momentum and it is now estimated that there are 10,000 to 15,000 fighters across the country. Many of the leaders of the rebel movement were also key figures in the democratic movement that overthrew the long-standing monarchy. Their frustration with the stagnant political situation and their anger over the neglect of the rural poor were the two motivating factors for the creation of the Maoist movement. The CPN tries to create a united front to gain local support but will use terror in areas where support comes more slowly. Such incidents of violence have increased as the CPN has expanded beyond its areas of traditional support. In some regions, especially in the Mid-West where the movement originated, the CPN has firm control of the area and government control is considerably limited. This conflict has become a revolt of people in the countryside who are mostly low-caste Hindus who realize that their essentially feudal way of life needs to be changed. The failure of mainstream politics to meet the basic needs of Nepal’s rural poor has fueled the conflict and drawn many of these people to the Maoist cause.




NEPAL’S HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES:
Both the government and the rebel forces have resorted to human rights abuses and have been accused of wide-ranging violent activities. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people have died in Nepal’s brutal civil war and that some 200,000 people have become internally displaced refugees. The conflict continues to rage between government forces and Maoist rebels, putting many civilians in the middle of the violence. Those most often caught between the two opposing sides are the most vulnerable: the “untouchables”, the rural poor, women, children, and the indigenous communities. In the western parts of the country, which are the most contested areas and the most saturated with rebel forces, civilians are often threatened by both sides. Maoist rebels force the villagers to provide them with shelter and refusal to do so often leads to violent reprisals. But, if the villagers protect the rebels, either willfully or by force, they will be vulnerable to violence by the Government police. Using extortion and coercion, the Maoists are imposing an authoritarian control throughout large parts of rural Nepal. State forces are engaged in well documented, systematic violations from extra-judicial executions to illegal detentions, "disappearances" and torture. When King Gyanendra seized direct power and dismissed the government in a royal coup on February 1, 2005, the state was guilty of suspending many fundamental rights and arresting thousands of political party leaders, students, journalists, and human rights activists.
“Sari Soldiers: Women on the Frontline in Nepal”, is a documentary film by Julie Bridgham that documents the perspective of women caught on both sides of the conflict. The human rights violations in Nepal have been widespread, but women in particular are often the unrecognized victims in this conflict. In the next blog entry I will discuss the situation for women in Nepal and give a background of how they have suffered from human rights abuses at the hands of the rebels and the Government forces.

USEFUL LINKS:
DUKE HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE: http://www.duke.edu/web/rightsatduke/
UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NEPAL: http://www.ohchr.org/english/countries/np/index.htm