06/11/2007
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The agreements. The deal that last November stopped ten years of civil war – with more than 13,000
victims – was to intern all the People Liberation Army (PLA) Maoist guerrillas
in 28 camps managed by Unmin and dismantle all the parallel government structures
that “the Reds” created in the areas under their control. In return Maoists have
joined the temporary transition government that fixed the date of November 26th for the election of the Constituent Assembly that will design the new Nepal.
Maoists' guile. However, only 30,000 PLA guerrillas have been interned: the youngest, who joined
during the last period. The bulk of the rebels – all the officers and the more
experienced combatants – have been “recycled” into a new maoist organisation,
the Young Communist League (YCL): a theoretically civil and disarmed movement,
created by Prachanda at the end of last year to bypass the obligations of the
just-signed peace agreement. In fact all the military management and the best
trained PLA forces have been transplanted into YCL, safeguarding them from internment
into UN camps.
Anything but disbanding. With this simple trick the PLA disbanding has not weakened the effective Maoists'
power at all, who have maintained full control of the “red areas” – although in
civilian clothes and with cold steel – in order to bias the forthcoming November
historical vote in their favour. During the last months the young Maoists have
started attacking police forces trying to penetrate in their zones and have begun
performing so-called “people justice” acts against “people enemies”; policemen,
soldiers and “collaborationists” kidnapping and killing, land, property and smuggling
merchandise seizures, attacks against government structures.
Increasing tension. Actions peaked with the kidnapping of Sitaram Prasai, a famous banker accused
by the government for fraud kidnapped and then handed over to the police by the
red guards on June 3rd. A “criminal” action, the prime minister Koirala thundered, provoking tough
reactions among the Maoists who have asked the premier, from the streets and in
the Kathmandu parliament, to apologise with the Young Communists League. “Koirala's
words show that he is the one on the criminal side, not us who are fighting them”,
Prachanda replied, rejecting requests to stop YCL “atrocities” and announcing,
on the contrary, his intention to double its staff, bringing it to 250,000 units
in few months.
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Maoists haven't disbanded. They've just reinvented themselves, so bypassing the peace agreements commitments
Prachanda's Maoists have cheated: they bypassed the peace agreements commitments,
thus deceiving the UN Nepalese mission (Unmin). A fraud that is putting the whole
peace process at risk.
The agreements. The deal that last November stopped ten years of civil war – with more than 13,000
victims – was to intern all the People Liberation Army (PLA) Maoist guerrillas
in 28 camps managed by Unmin and dismantle all the parallel government structures
that “the Reds” created in the areas under their control. In return Maoists have
joined the temporary transition government that fixed the date of November 26th for the election of the Constituent Assembly that will design the new Nepal.
Maoists' guile. However, only 30,000 PLA guerrillas have been interned: the youngest, who joined
during the last period. The bulk of the rebels – all the officers and the more
experienced combatants – have been “recycled” into a new maoist organisation,
the Young Communist League (YCL): a theoretically civil and disarmed movement,
created by Prachanda at the end of last year to bypass the obligations of the
just-signed peace agreement. In fact all the military management and the best
trained PLA forces have been transplanted into YCL, safeguarding them from internment
into UN camps.
Anything but disbanding. With this simple trick the PLA disbanding has not weakened the effective Maoists'
power at all, who have maintained full control of the “red areas” – although in
civilian clothes and with cold steel – in order to bias the forthcoming November
historical vote in their favour. During the last months the young Maoists have
started attacking police forces trying to penetrate in their zones and have begun
performing so-called “people justice” acts against “people enemies”; policemen,
soldiers and “collaborationists” kidnapping and killing, land, property and smuggling
merchandise seizures, attacks against government structures.
Increasing tension. Actions peaked with the kidnapping of Sitaram Prasai, a famous banker accused
by the government for fraud kidnapped and then handed over to the police by the
red guards on June 3rd. A “criminal” action, the prime minister Koirala thundered, provoking tough
reactions among the Maoists who have asked the premier, from the streets and in
the Kathmandu parliament, to apologise with the Young Communists League. “Koirala's
words show that he is the one on the criminal side, not us who are fighting them”,
Prachanda replied, rejecting requests to stop YCL “atrocities” and announcing,
on the contrary, his intention to double its staff, bringing it to 250,000 units
in few months.Enrico Piovesana
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