The Reintegration of Ex-Maoist Combatants back

into Nepali Society

Chiranjibi Bhandari
Centre for Poverty Analysis
13
th
Annual Symposium Post War Reconstruction in Asia
and Africa
1-3 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Country Context
Conflict Context
40 Points demands submitted by CPN-Maoist on 4
th
February, 1996
Attack on police stations in the districts of Rolpa, Rukum and Sindhuli on 13th
February, 1996, which formally marked the start of armed conflict
14,000 people killed from the both sides; government and Maoist displaced an
estimated 100,000 more people
Royal Massacre 2001
Formation of PLA
19 Day People's Movement
CPA- 2006- beginning of peace process in Nepal
Tripartite Conflict 3Ms
Monarchy
Mainstream
Parties
Maoist
Reintegration
Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration and Security Sector Reform
"Reintegration is the process by which ex-combatants acquire civilian status
and gain sustainable employment and income. Reintegration is essentially a
social and economic process with an open timeframe, primarily taking place
in communities at the local level. It is part of the general development of a
country and a national responsibility, and often necessitates long-term
external assistance". UNSG (2006,8)
Short Term and Long Term Measures
Methodology
Qualitative by nature
Descriptive and analytical
Primary and secondary sources of data
Researcher , an active individual, participated during the supervision, integration and
reintegration team, which provided access to key informants, ex-combatants and
exclusive access to the cantonments, but also raises issues of the objectivity of the
research and must be taken into consideration when evaluating the analysis of the
data provided.
Primary Information
Key informant interviews (KII),
In-depth interviews,
Field visits
Observation
Forty interviews
24 ex-combatants,
10 local community members
6 experts from the central and
local levels
Secondary Information
Academic journals,
Books
Government and non
governmental organizations
reports
Limitations
Firstly, the Verified Late Minor Recruits, discharged from the cantonments in
2009, which the United Nations Inter Agency Program for Rehabilitation
supported the rehabilitation program of around 2000 ex-combatants, and
actively participated in the reintegration program.
The second category of reintegration, 15624 voluntary retirees, and an
additional 6 people who chose rehabilitation, technically reintegration process
was facilitated by the Secretariat of the Special Committee. Study is limited
on the reintegration of the 15630 ex-combatants.
PLA Expansion & Character
Year Activity
1996 Decided to form Guerilla Squad in
1996
1997 First Guerilla Platoon
1999 Company
2000 Battalion
2001 First PLA Gathering, decided to
Form PLA with Prachanda as
Supreme Commander
2001-
2006
Expansion of PLA throughout the
country
Characteristics of PLA
Inclusive- In terms of Caste and
Ethnicity, Gender, Geographical
distribution
People from 74 Districts, out of
75 district of Nepal
More than 20% Female ex-
combatants
Significant Representation of
the people from socially
excluded and Marginalized
Communities
National Character
Facts and Figure
ABSENTEES
in
Verification
Process
8640
Total
Registered
Combatants
32250
VLMR
4008
Late Recruits : 1035
Minors: 2973
UNMIN -
VERIFIED
19602
Participated in Update and
Regrouping in 2011 : 17052
Death Reported from 2007
to 2011 : 94
Missing combatants: 2456
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2
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VR : 15624
GDs for Reintegration
S. N. Agreement Date Singed Parties
1 Twelve Point Agreement 22 November, 2005 SPA and CPN (Maoist)
2 Ceasefire Code of Conduct 26 May, 2006 Government of Nepal and
CPN (Maoist)
3 Letter to the United Nations 9 August, 2006 The GON and CPN (Maoist)
4 Comprehensive Peace
Agreement
21 November, 2006 GON and CPN(Maoist)
5 Agreements on Monitoring
Arms and Armies
8 December, 2006 GoN and CPN (Maoist)
witnessed by UNMIN
6 Interim Constitution 2007 15 January, 2007 The Interim Government
7 Directives for Supervision,
Control, Direction and Code
of Conduct for MACs
16 September, 2010 Special Committee
8 Seven Point Agreements 1 November, 2011 CPN (Maoist) and Other
political Parties
Composition of Analysis
Process: Local Ownership, politically agreed
and technically driven
Economic Aspect of Reintegration
Combatants, Cash and Gun
Gender Issues
Conclusion
Special Committee & Secretariat
Process
Before 1996 1996-2006 2006-2012 2012 onwards
Maoist Party
UNMIN/ UCPN-M/ GoN
Society
Conflict
Cantonment
Society
Actors
Maoist Army
Combatants
UNMIN
Government
of Nepal
Nepal Army
Political
Parties
Special
Committee
Timeline of Activities
S. N. Activities Timeline
1 Cantonments were set up and Maoist Army Combatants
were contained in seven main and 21 satellite
cantonments
Feb-March 2007
2 UNMIN and UN arms monitors were deployed in 7 main
and 21 satellite cantonments and Nepal Army container
site.
November 2007
3 Registration of combatants by UNMIN 16
th
Jan-17
th
Feb, 2007
4 Verification of ex-combatants by UNMIN 19
th
Jun- 21
st
Dec, 2007
5 Establishment of Special Committee 28 October
2008
6 Establishment of Technical Committee 2009
.Contd
S. N. Activities Timeline
7 Farewell of UNMIN 15 Jan, 2011
8 MACs under the Special Committee 22
nd
Jan, 2011
9 Update and regrouping of combatants 17
th
Nov- 2
nd
Dec, 2011
10 First round of farewell for voluntary
retirement opted combatants
Feb, 2012
11 Second Round of farewell for VR combatants April, 2012
12 Final Round of Farewell for VR opted
Combatants
September, 2012
13 Integration of combatants into Nepal Army
April, 2013
Economic Aspect of Reintegration
Global practice has shown that financial support for DDR related activities come from a wide
range of sources including the United Nations and other donor multilateral and bilateral agencies
in third world countries.
International donors were not found happy about providing large amounts of money or grants to
ex-combatants .
Donor agencies refused the idea of giving money to ex-combatants the government of Nepal
made the unprecedented decision to manage all the funds required for voluntary retirement
packages through the national treasury, which is tax payers money, and is considered as one of
the great commitments to the peace process.
Cost of management of the arms and armies is 19,71,52,68,393.58.
A total of 8.3 billion was expended through the SC including 8.1 billion as cash incentives and
travel allowances for ex-combatants and 0.22 billion as administrative expenditures of the
Secretariat and SC.
Combatants, Cash and Gun
Cash packages, of between 500-
800 thousands Rupees based on
the ex-combatants rank.
More than two third majority of
the ex-combatants utilized their
cash in the purchase of land, to
build houses, educating their
children, maintaining their
houses, and many started small
businesses like mobile repair
shops, retail shops, and
transportation businesses.
Voluntary
Retirement
Integra
tion
Rehabilitati
on
Gender issue
Mobilization of women is unique in Maoist insurgency. Around 20 % women
combatants in PLA.
One female ex-combatant (26) shared her experience: "I belong to the so-called lower caste community. I joined PLA in 2004 and got
married to an upper caste boy in the cantonment. After marriage, the life was very happy. While we left the cantonment with a
voluntary retirement package, it was difficult for him (husband), not for me, to be back in his village with his family due to my caste.
He never expresses this, but sometimes he used to go his place of origin but never asked me to go with him. I've a daughter and we are
living together in the nearby area of the cantonment."
Maoist insurgency to some extend failed to provide the emancipation that
mobilized the women initially, but it has unquestionably created an environment
for women to campaign, protest and lobby for their rights.
The Maoists are making us travel in 10 years a path we would have travelled in 50 years'.
Discrimination and rejection from their natal communities due to inter-caste or
inter-ethnic marriages that were encouraged during the insurgency.
Anticipation Vs. Realities
In one way or another, social reintegration posed problems for both the lives of
the ex-combatants and civilians.
The perceptions of the national and international actors towards the ex-
combatants, especially the assumption that they would spend their money too
fast and then be left with nothing, also proved to be unjustified.
Despite more than two dozen options of education, training and skill
development, rehabilitation packages remained the lowest priority amongst the
three alternatives provided to the Maoist Army Combatants.
The vast majority of ex-combatants did not return to their villages of origin;
rather, they settled elsewhere in urban and semi-urban areas.
Many combatants who returned to their native places or natal villages have
reported suffering from various forms of discrimination.
Reintegration-Status
What are they
doing Now ?
Agricultur
al Work
Unemployed
Education
Service
and
Wage
Labor
Small
Business
Abroad
Political
Position
O
P
P
O
R
T
U
N
I
T
I
E
S
Challenges
Jungle King to Urban Poor
Depression, Psychosocial problem
Negative Perception of Society
Labeling-Maoist
Cash ran out, no proper opportunities for business and job in some
cases.
Not much interested towards the politics
Perceived life as frustrating tiring and angering endeavors and sense
of frustration, humiliation
Conclusion
Reintegration of former combatants is the most contentious issue in Nepal for
more than 6 years after signining of CPA 2006.
UN monitored the process and found critical in mediated between the two
parties, but it soon became clear that a more local approach was required and
the UNMIN left the country.
Process was directly facilitated by the secretariat, the Special Committee and
the major political parties, which is called a politically driven but locally
owned process.
Reintegration process with cash package was largely successful. VR opted
ex-combatants successfully utilized financial package (except few) in
livelihood and other income generation options. Although, both the positive
and negative impacts of social reintegration noticed.
Contd
Reintegration has been much more difficult for many female ex-combatants in
comparison to their male counterparts due to hierarchical social structure, new
settlement.
Nepals experiences can potentially help to develop and enhance the current
global discourse on the final stages of conflict resolution and reintegration of
former combatants.
Nepals indigenous process can challenge the dominant discourse and help to
provide further options to solve the problems facing many countries around the
world today, and the many more that will invariably experience similar issues in
the future, to hopefully resolve their internal conflicts peacefully and
successfully as Nepal has demonstrated.
THANK YOU