Violence Flares In Nepal As Ceasefire Ends

Sad news from Nepal, where almost unnoticed by the western media, the Maoist rebels ended their eight-month ceasfire with the government last Wednesday.

After three rounds of talks between the Maoists and the Nepali government, negotions finally collapsed. The sides remained deadlocked over Maoist demands that elections be held for a constituent assembly which would, in turn, draft a new constitution and decide the fate of the Nepalese monarchy.

The government reportedly saw no grounds for the election of an assembly and, while it was prepared to amend the existing consitution, baulked at the idea of a completely new one. There's a fuller analysis of the situation in this BBC news story.

Over 7,000 people have already died in the seven-year insurgency and the vital tourist industry has been hard hit by the violence, even though rebels have pledged not to deliberately attack visitors and the major trekking areas appear to be relatively safe.

New Deaths

Sadly fighting has already re-started with at least 16 people being killed in recent days according to this report and the government introducing a ban on public meetings in certain areas.

Meanwhile, last Friday, a huge peace rally in Kathmandu with an estimated 60,000 participants called for both sides to return to the negotiating table. See this story.

Safe For Trekkers?

As we've reported before, the Maoists so far have specifically pledged not to attack trekkers and the main risk to travellers appears to be from inadvertently getting caught up in fighting between insurgents and the government forces. The main trekking areas like Everest and Annapurna however appear to be relatively quiet.

There have been incidents of trekkers being asked for a 'tax' by Maoists, with receipts even being handed out for confiscated cameras, but as far as we're aware, no trekkers in popular areas have been spefically targeted.

Should you go to Nepal? Obviously there are risks attached to travelling in any unsettled area, however, up till now the country seems to have been relatively safe.

The US State Department Nepal page doesn't seem to have been updated since January, but advises against trekking outside the Everest and Annapurna regions and advises US citizens not to trek alone.

The UK Foreign Office also advises vigilance and mentions the increasing incidence in 'the number of cases of extortion by Maoists in recent months.'

For an idea of what the Nepal media is reporting, see Nepal News.com which carries extracts from Nepalese papers.