Conflict victims’ sufferings

The Himalayan Times

3 November 2023

Conflict victims’ sufferings

The Maoist conflict in the country was a dark period in the country's political history considering its past and present impact in the national political situation and social and cultural environment. About 17,000 people lost their lives in the decade-long so called people’s war, almost pushing the nation towards political, social and economic disintegration. Although the conflict formally came to an end nearly 17 years ago, the scars of this bloody war are still fresh. All the conflict victims are still waiting for appropriate and lawful justice. It has been utmost necessary for the major political parties to move on from this violent past and build a peaceful future by resolving the long-pending transitional justice issue.

The 10 year long armed conflict came to a formal end with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the promulgation of the Interim Constitution of Nepal in 2007. The then government had established two commissions: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), to investigate the gross human rights violations during the armed conflict. However, some of the policymakers opine that the TRC and CEIDP cannot realistically handle tens of thousands of cases owing to their limited resources and political affiliations. Rights advocates and conflict victims have long been demanding that there should not be any kind of amnesty forserious violations of human rights perpetrators. But, many of such perpetrators are now at the forefront of national politics and have occupied ministerial chairs and even led the government.

It seems that the senior political leaders do not want to empower commissions with full rights to investigate and prosecute war-era cases, fearing that they might be prosecuted owing to their direct or indirect involvement in serious human rights violations during the decade long conflict.  

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj