Nepal’s internal conflict has entered an ambiguous
stage and remains unresolved as a result of the vested
interests of the political parties, the palace and
the security forces.
Despite the failure of two previous dialogues in
2001 and 2003, the Nepalese government and the Communist
Part of Nepal (CPN-Maoists) have expressed their commitment
to end hostilities through a peaceful settlement and
political dialogue. However, there is a dilemma over
who will initiate the peace process.
The sincerity of the parties in seeking a resolution
of the conflict is in question as the death toll climbs
above the 12,000 mark. Most of those victims are civilians,
killed during the nine-year confrontation as the parties
continue to attempt elimination of the other through
military means.
Nepal’s status currently falls under the category
of a semi-autocratic regime. All democratic institutions
have been demolished and the country’s 14-year-old
constitution has no capability to reshape the multiparty
system that was the outcome of a trilateral compromise
between the pro-democratic forces of the 1990s: the
Nepali Congress, the United People’s Front (a
coalition of communist parties), and the palace. In
addition to the multiparty system, the constitution
restricts even discussion of changes regarding the
“constitutional monarch”. But the conflict
is not only rooted in political structures. It is
also a result of the unresolved issues of a feudal
society, such as economic disparity, social inequality,
discrimination based on caste, ethnicity and gender,
illiteracy, basic healthcare, unemployment, and power
based on wealth and class. read
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