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New life begins for Nepal's Maoist ex-rebels
Agence France Presse - November 19, 2011
The historic transition follows a breakthrough peace deal signed on November 1 by the Maoists and the three other major political parties which paved the way for life beyond the cantonments for the battle-hardened ex-rebels.
"It's a critical time in their lives. It's also challenging and demanding for us," said Balananda Sharma, a retired lieutenant general who is overseeing the integration of the 19,000 ex-rebels into the army and Nepalese society.
The fighters formed a queue snaking around a hill at the Shaktikhor cantonment in Chitwan, about 220 kilometres (150 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, to ask army monitors in blue jackets about their options for the future.
Under the deal, 6,500 fighters will be integrated into the Nepalese Army while the remainder choose between retirement payoffs of 500,000 to 800,000 rupees ($6,300-$10,200) and a rehabilitation package that includes vocational training.
"I've wanted to join the army since my childhood. Seven years ago I attended a few programmes organised by the Maoists and joined them because their policies attracted me," said former combatant Bikash Shahi, 28.
"I was in two battles after joining the party and saw the deaths of my comrades. I wanted to serve the nation so I have decided to go for integration into the Nepalese Army."
Sharma said those opting for the payoff would get their cash in two instalments, one year apart, while those who went for the training packages would be counselled by career experts.
"We will offer them alternatives based on their qualifications," said Sharma, adding that the reintegration process would take more than 10 days and the combatants would remain in the camp until their leaders had worked out the logistics of the retirement and rehabilitation packages.
The rest of the thousands of former fighters will leave the camps over the coming days.
"We will give them enough time to decide their future because, after joining the war, this is the most crucial decision they are going to make in their career," Sharma added. "The issue of Maoist fighters is the most important aspect of the peace process and the regrouping is the first major step towards it."
There are more than 19,000 former fighters confined to seven cantonments across Nepal. The camps were set up and monitored by the United Nations until January when the UN mission in Nepal handed over the keys of Maoist weapons containers to a cross-party special committee.
The Maoists fought a decade-long war against the state in which at least 16,000 people died. The former rebels left their jungle redoubts and joined mainstream politics in 2006, going on to win landmark elections two years later and abolishing the country's 240-year-old monarchy.
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