F OCHA Situation Overview

Issue No. 11/ March

Highlights:

• Interim government formed, Political parties propose date for Constituent Assembly elections • Clash between Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum and CPN-Maoist in Rautahat leaves 28 dead • Bandhs called by Madhesi and other groups continue to paralyse life in east and central Terai • Citizenship Certificate distribution and voter lists updates continue amidst challenges • New groups continue to pose challenges to humanitarian and development work • Delivery of services by state in Terai districts hampered by Madhesi and other groups • Refugee census nears completion • Emergency food aid programmes in Mid and Far western Nepal to continue • Transition Appeal launched

Kathmandu, 5 April 2007 development drew public debate on whether all the CPN- CONTEXT Maoist weapons had been registered. During the reporting period, a number of CPN-Maoist s’ PLA were reported to Politics and major developments have threatened to leave the Cantonment sites, citing poor living conditions. A joint committee composed of On 1 April 2007, following intense negotiations, the Prime government and CPN-Maoist formed to assess the living Minister Girija Prasad Koirala formed a 22- member Council conditions at the cantonment sites has made of Ministers. The interim government includes 5 cabinet recommendations for improvement of the living conditions ministers from the CPN-Maoist, 5 ministers from the Nepali at the cantonment sites. Congress, 6 from CPN-UML, 4 from NC- Democratic and one each from the NSP (Ananda Devi) and ULF. The leaders of In preparation for the planned Constituent Assembly (CA) the 8 political parties also endorsed a 5- point document that elections, citizenship registration and voters’ list updates would guide the functions of the coalition government. The went on in most parts of the country, with UNMIN teams political party leaders also set up the date for holding getting out to support the district Election offices. Similarly, Constituent Assembly elections as 20 June and resolved that citizenship registration was reportedly progressing well in the Monarchy would be abolished by a two thirds majority Mid and Far Western regions, albeit at a slower pace than vote in parliament if the King made any conspiracy against previously anticipated. Initial reports from Mid and Far the Constituent Assembly elections. Western region continued to indicate that the majority of new citizenship certificate recipients are women. In the On 21 March, a clash between CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Eastern region, both citizenship and voter registration went Peoples Right Forum ( MPRF) cadres over who had the right on but with difficulties. For example, on 22 February, 200 between the two groups to hold a rally in Gaur, Rautahat local people reportedly padlocked the citizenship distribution District, left 28 people dead, the majority being CPN-Maoist team offices in , Udaypur district, supporters. Following this incident, the District accusing the teams of denying them citizenship certificates. Administration Office (DAO) imposed day time curfew in the Similarly, on 28 February, demonstrators temporarily vicinity of Gaur to avert any escalation of violence. The CPN- disrupted citizen distribution exercise in Jhumka VDC of Maoist Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) cadres presently after a dispute with citizenship distribution confined in Cantonment site located in Chulachuli in Ilam teams. District temporarily left the Cantonment site to protest against the Gaur incident. The MPRF leader Upendra Yadav During the reporting period, proliferation of different ethnic reportedly went underground when the police started and political groups by sections of Nepalese society who felt arresting people suspected to have taken part in the Gaur that the Interim Constitution and government did not killings. adequately address their varying caste and regional interests continued. OCHA office managed to track 20 such groups, During the reporting period, UNMIN announced that the many of which called bandhs and blockades to try and drive first phase of registration of CPN-Maoist weapons and their point home. These groups include Madhesi Tigers, combatants at all the 7 cantonment sites had been Tamang Autonomous Region Democratic Front, Nepal completed. At a press conference, UNMIN reported that the Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), Federal total number of CPN-Maoist combatants registered at the Democratic Republic Joint Struggle Committee, Tharu seven main cantonment sites, including those from the Kalyankarini Sava (Tharu Welfare Assembly), Loktantrik associated satellite cantonment sites, was 30,852. UNMIN Madheshi Morcha and Federal Republican Forum (For more also stated that it was in the process of registering members information, please visit our website: www.un.org.np) of the CPN-Maoist army currently engaged in leadership Conflict and Security Clashes between CPN-Maoist, MPRF security arrangements or undergoing medical treatment and other groups were reported in different parts of the outside the cantonment sites. UNMIN also reported that the country, with little or no intervention by the police being total number of weapons registered so far is 3,428. The latter reported in such clashes. On 25 February, a clash between

OCHA Nepal Situation Overview, Issue No. 11/Mar 1

CPN-Maoist and MPRF in Gulariya VDC of Bardiya District group asked NGOs in to only employ in Mid Western region left 3 people dead and 5 other serious or close down their offices. injured. On 27 February, a similar clash between CPN- Maoist and MPRF in Banke District of the same region led to the death of 2 MPRF activists and injury to 14 others whereas On 29 March, the Goit faction of TJMM reportedly abducted on 28 February clashes between Nepal Federation of 2 employees of an NGO in Bara district of Central Nepal and Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) activists and CPN-Maoist imposed 3 conditions for their release namely that the NGO in Dang District, 3 people were seriously injured should register and pay taxes to the TJMM (G) faction and to During the reporting period, Young Communist League undertake not to employ any person of hill origin (Pahadi). (YCL), seemingly a transformed version of the group Similarly, the Jwala Singh faction of TJMM reportedly formerly known as ‘CPN-Maoist militia’ was increasingly demanded 70 million Rupees as “tax to the Madhesh getting active in pushing CPN-Maoist policy issues in government” from a sugar factory in Sunsari District. different districts, including law enforcement. A joint OCHA / OHCHR mission to Rukum and Rolpa was informed that the YCL in the two districts are responsible for ‘criminal In Mid Western Region, CPN-Maoist continued to block investigations’ at local level before referring relevant cases to development and humanitarian workers from carrying out the Peoples’ Court. Similar involvement of YCL in law and their activities. In Surkhet district, the management of order situation was reported by OCHA offices in Eastern Jhupra Drinking Water Project, one of the biggest drinking Region’s area in Sunsari District. water projects in Birendranagar Municipality, announced that it would halt its operations as from 1 March owing to The re-establishment of police posts that had been displaced continued pressure and extortion by the CPN-Maoist to the during the conflict continued across the country, but with contractor. The contractor had reportedly been paying challenges. During the reporting period, a joint money to the CPN-Maoist prior to the signing of the OCHA/OHCHR mission to Rukum and Rolpa districts of Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but stopped doing so due Mid Western region was informed that the police in Rukum to the changed context. have re-established only 7 rural police posts out of the original 24, while 9 out of 23 posts have been opened in Rolpa. The OCHA/OHCHR mission was informed that the process of re-establishing even a very modest police presence in the rural areas has been a difficult and sometimes a humiliating experience for the police, always preceded by consultations and negotiations with the CPN-Maoist at the district headquarters level and in the VDCs. Lack of sufficient resources, including adequate equipments to enable re- established police posts function effectively remained an issue.

Use of explosives and bombs to instil fear or make political statements notably increased during the reporting period, especially in the Eastern region. On 26 March, a group calling itself the Eastern command of Nepal Defence Army (NDA) hurled a bomb at the regional office of Kantipur Publication in , . The same group Re-established police post, Nawalparasi District also reportedly took responsibility for the detonation of another bomb inside the premises of a factory at Tankisinawari VDC in Morang on the same day. NDA also Reach of State owned up for the detonation of another bomb in the residence of a Nepal Congress politician in Biratnagar as While CPN-Maoist had blocked most of the development well as at an education training centre in Inaruwa, Sunsari activities of the VDCs, they recently allowed the VDC district on March 27 March. No human casualties were Secretaries to allocate their budget of 1 million rupees in reported during both incidents. consensus with the newly formed 8 parties committee. A recent all party meeting held in Liwang VDC, Rolpa District, discussed priority development projects, particularly in Operational Space relation to the 1 million rupees budget remaining to be spent. The CPN-Maoist reportedly made a proposal to spend 50% of Whereas there appeared to be a marked reduction in the budget from many of the VDCs in the district to complete interference by the CPN-Maoist in the way development and the so-called 'People's Road'. Reports vary as to whether this humanitarian organizations deliver services, new groups proposal was formally endorsed. However, these VDC especially in the Terai region continued to pose operational committees have only 3 months left to spend their envelope, challenges. A joint OHCHR/ OCHA mission to Rukum and as the fiscal year ends on July 15. Some District Development Rolpa districts of Mid Western Nepal was informed that committees (DDCs) in Eastern and Western regions are still there is less CPN-Maoist interference in development and also not allowed to collect tax revenue, whereas in other humanitarian work in the two districts than in the past. An districts, CPN-Maoist and DDCs were both collecting taxes. OCHA mission to the Western region’s Rupandehi, Nawalparasi and Kapilbastu districts received similar During the reporting period, 46 VDC secretaries were information. The Situation was however different in some blocked from carrying out their work by TJMM Cadres in East and Central Terai districts. In Eastern Terai, suspected Sunsari District. The affected VDC secretaries were reported MPRF activists reportedly approached UN offices in to have moved back from their stations to the district RajBiraj, Saptari district, and directed the staff not to open headquarters owing to security concerns. On 26 February, the offices. Similarly, representatives of Limbuwan welfare MPRF activists reportedly padlocked Bhawanipur,

OCHA Nepal Situation Overview, Issue No. 11/Mar 2

Hiriminiya and Piprahawa VDC offices in Banke District on claims that the staff in these offices had refused to give Population Movement donations to MPRF. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) officially launched its The reporting period also saw continued customs blockade ‘Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) and padlocking of government offices across the Terai belt by project in Nepalgunj, Biratnagar and in March, MPRF activists. Customs blockade in Biratnagar and with the opening of project offices in all the three locations. Karkavitta border entry points in the Eastern Region, Birgunj The program is providing legal aid, information and return in the Central Region and Nepalgunj in Mid Western regions assistance to persons displaced by the conflict. Through the by MPRF elements remained largely in place. This seriously provision of services to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), disrupted government revenue collection. Other than the NRC is collecting comprehensive data on the numbers, District Administration Offices, many government offices in conditions and locations of IDPs to share with the Sunsari, Siraha and Saptari districts in the Eastern Region humanitarian community, and also drafting case remained closed during the reporting period due to threats management guidelines for recurring legal issues relating to from MPRF activists. Very limited official activities were displacement, return and reintegration in Nepal. NRC also reportedly going on in the main government departments in continues to provide support to the Government of Nepal for these districts. In some districts like Saptari, government the drafting of Directives on implementation of the new IDP officials were reported to be using back door to enter their policy”. offices to deliver essential services so as not to be seen to be breaking the MPRF directives. In Siraha District, some During the reporting period, UNHCR jointly with OCHA, government offices were reportedly opened only under heavy OHCHR and NHRC facilitated workshops on IDP Guiding police presence. Other than closure of offices, a number of principles and dissemination of government of Nepal’s IDP medium and senior level government officials in Rautahat policy in the Dhankuta and Tehrathum districts of Eastern district of Central Region were reported to have taken leave Nepal. UNHCR had facilitated similar workshops in the Mid- from their official duties owing to subtle and overt threats Western Region districts of Surkhet, Dailekh and Dang. from MPRF and other Madhesi groups. During the workshops, district based committees CPN-Maoist also reportedly continued blocking the District incorporating the District Administration Office, CPN- Development Committee (DDC) in the Far Western districts Maoist, other political parties, human rights activists and of Dang, Salyan and Pyuthan from spending any money on NGOs to oversee IDP issues were formed. the DDC budget until CPN-Maoist joins the interim government and an ‘acceptable arrangement’ on spending In Mid Western Region, BEE Group with the support of reached after consultations between the DDC, the CPN- CARITAS and IRC facilitated the return of 40 IDPs to Maoist and the other political parties. Humla, Bajura and Mugu Districts from Banke district on 5 and 6 March. The IDPs had been staying at Rajena camp for NATURAL DISASTERS more than 3 years.

On 26 February, jointly with the government of Nepal, Refugees UNDP organised a national level inception workshop to prepare a national strategy for disaster risk reduction based On 22 February, one refugee was killed and eight others on the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA). The workshop injured in clashes between refugees and locals outside was intended to solicit views of different stakeholders like Sanichare Refugee Camp of Morang District. The clash government officials, corporate sector, national and reportedly occurred due to conflict over the use of forest international Non- governmental organisations, community resources by refugees around the camp, which the local based organisations as well as donors. population claim to be depleting the available forest resources. Representatives of the eight political parties, the During the reporting period, OCHA started mapping out the Morang District CDO and district police officials intervened response capacities of different actors in and outside and the situation subsequently calmed down. Kathmandu Valley to respond in the event of a major natural disaster. In conjunction with the government of Nepal’s Refugee Coordination Unit, UNHCR has been conducting census of Drought Bhutanese refugee living in Eastern Nepal districts of Morang and Jhapa since 15 November 2006. As of 1 April, The World Food Programme (WFP) released its latest food the Census teams had completed the exercise in five of the security update covering Emergency Operation (EMOP) to seven camps; the last two, Timai and Khundunabari located provide food assistance to drought affected populations in in are due to be completed by 18 April. The Mid and Far Western Nepal. According to WFP, a total of Census officials will then register and interview the refugees 24,866 households in Rukum, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Jumla, who are officially registered as living outside of the camps as Kalikot, Bajura and Humla districts require emergency food well as those who for legitimate reasons have not been able aid. WFP further reports that 90% of the farmers in these to appear for registration and verification during the areas are likely to experience failure of wheat and barley, the scheduled time. During the reporting period, UNHCR main winter crops. WFP also reports that a reduction in informed OCHA that the turnout for the census has been variety and quantity of food intake by households in EMOP very impressive and preliminary census results confirms the areas has adversely affected the nutritional status of children overall accuracy of the Government of Nepal figures for this under the age of 5. According to the WFP food update, 53% population, maintained for the past 15 years. The census has of children in EMOP areas are malnourished, 9% of them been useful as it gave UNHCR and the government of Nepal severely whereas a further 24% are at risk of becoming an opportunity to update data for these refugees and to Malnourished. In order to meet the immediate food needs of gather important protection related information from across the affected households, WFP will continue providing food the estimated 107,000 refugee population currently living in aid in the above stated districts for the next two months until the camps. the harvesting season.

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COORDINATION

On 23 February, the Nepal Common Appeal for Transition Support was launched. This 60.6 Million Dollar appeal was prepared by the Nepal Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) for the year 2007 and presents a number of common inter-agency strategies and projects by UN agencies, I/NGOs and the Red Cross movement in the humanitarian and protection domains. Thematic areas and sectors already receiving 'partial' funding under the appeal are: Food security, Human Rights/Protection, Children Associated with Armed Conflict (CAAFAG), Health, Mine Action, and Coordination Support.

On 1 March, OCHA regional office in Nepalgunj organized an IDP Coordination meeting with I/NGOs, bi-lateral projects and UN Agencies. The meeting discussed the Nepal Government’s IDP policy, UNHCR lead district level IDP workshops and taskforces and future direction for organizations/agencies involved in IDP issues.

For further inform ation please contact: Vincent Omuga, Humanitarian affairs Officer on 9851072870 Paul Handley, Humanitarian affairs Officer on 9851087520.

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