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Fri, 2 May 10:55:01 GMT17

 
Nepal peace

Last reviewed: 04-04-2008

WAR-WEARY NATION EMBRACES PEACE


Nepal's royalist government and Maoist rebels signed a peace accord in November 2006 ending a 10-year civil war in the Himalayan nation.

  • More than 13,000 killed
  • Hundreds of thousands displaced
  • New violence in south

    The peace deal came seven months after nationwide pro-democracy protests and general strikes forced King Gyanendra to end a 15-month period of direct rule.

    The Maoists then formally joined the political process, registering as a political party and taking seats in an interim parliament.

    Nepalis are due to vote on April 10 for a constituent assembly which will draw up a new constitution, the centrepiece of the peace deal.

    One of the Maoists key aims during the years of conflict was to overthrow Nepal's 240-year-old monarchy.

    The government has already agreed to scrap the monarchy, but the formal abolition will be carried out by the new assembly.

    Nepal's peace process has been clouded by unrest in its southern plains where activists from the Madheshi ethnic group have been demanding more autonomy for the region known as the Terai. Dozens of people have died in violent protests and a regional strike in early 2008 paralysed the capital Kathmandu and threatened to derail the national elections.

    The government has since agreed to grant more autonomy in a deal with protest leaders. However, analysts say armed groups fighting a low-intensity insurgency in the Terai may prove harder to satisfy.

    KEY FACTS


    Percentage of people living on less than $1 a day (2005 - PPP value) 24 (World Bank)
    Percentage of population living below national poverty line (2005) 31 (World Bank)
    Life expectancy at birth (2005) 63 years (UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008)
    Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births, 2005) 56 (UNDP Human Development Report)
    Maternal mortality rate (2005) 830 per 100,000 live births (UNDP Human Development Report)
    Internally displaced people 50,000-70,000 (July 2007)
    (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre)

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    Police arrest Tibetan nuns and others trying to reach Chinese Embassy Visa Section in Kathmandu April 30, 2008. Tibetans living in Nepal are protesting against the Chinese crackdown on Tibetans in ...


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