10,000+

20 years ago this week, the death toll in the Maoist War crossed 10,000. This week, nearly two decades after the end of the conflict, the Enforced Disappearances Inquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act of 2014 was finally passed in Parliament.

The final bill still has contentious provisions and many rights activists are not convinced it will fully address truth and justice issues. The new commission for transitional justice must be independent and above party interest. Until then, Nepal’s decades long peace process would not be truly complete.  

Excerpts of the page 1 report published in issue #209 13 – 19 August 2004:

This month, the number of Nepalis killed by fellow-Nepalis since the Maoist war began eight years ago crossed the 10,000 mark. The human rights organisation, INSEC, is the only independent group counting. But it lists only verified deaths, and there are thousands more undocumented cases. 

In 1996, when a total of 81 people were killed, the nation was shocked. The death toll rose exponentially after the army entered the fray in November 2001, as the Maoists started using heavy weapons they captured. Non-combatant casualties soared as counter-insurgency operations resulted in disappearances, extra-judicial killings and deaths in crossfire.

The worst total was in 2002, when 4,648 people were killed, nearly one-fourth of them in the bloody month of May alone.

The Maoists targeted civilians, grassroot politicians, social workers, businessmen and those accused of spying. INSEC says the Maoists have killed 3,469 people, while 6,643 have died at the hands of the security forces. Of the total, 4,141 were civilians, 1,478 were security personnel, about 400 were political workers and over 4,000 were Maoists.

For archived material of Nepali Times of the past 20 years, site search: nepalitimes.com