UN appeals for quick release of former child fighters in Nepal
Updated
The United Nations has called for the swift and orderly release of child soldiers from Nepal's Maoist army.
The former combatants have been confined to UN-monitored camps since the civil war ended three years ago. The plan to release former child soldiers has long stalled, amid allegations of resistance by the former Maoist guerillas. Nepal's coalition government and the Maoists have re-committed to the discharge plan, but the UN says it's already taken far too long.
Presenter:Joanna McCarthy
Speaker: Karin Landgren, chief of the UN Mission in Nepal
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MCCARTHY: It was a 2006 peace agreement that ended ten years of fighting between Maoist rebels and the Nepal government. As part of that accord almost 24-thousand former rebels live in camps around the country. Nearly three-thousand of those were minors when the war ended, according to the United Nations. Karin Landgren is the chief of the United Nations Mission in Nepal.
LANDGREN: Many children seemed to have entered sort of sideways, first by getting into community activities that Maoist cultural groups had organised or Maoist student unions and then onwards to the militia or the Maoist army. There have also been documented abductions. The Maoists had several special recruitment campaigns, including one which was one family, one member for the party, and children were recruited forcibly or not.
MCCARTHY: Three years later those child combatants are yet to be discharged from the temporary camps, despite assurances from the government.
LANDGREN: It's taken far too long, the members of the Maoist army entered the UN supervised cantonments across Nepal, there are 28 cantonments after the peace agreements in late 2006. And 2007 was taken up with a verification exercise to identify any who had been under 18 at the cut off date. This whole exercise of registration and verification, and we're talking about interviewing over 23-thousand people, was concluded in early 2008. That exercise found almost three-thousand to have been minors at the cut off date and they should have been released from the cantonments at once in late 2006. But the Maoists have prevaricated and some of the children simply left on their own.
MCCARTHY: The UN says it's encouraged by the news last week that the government and Maoist party are re-launching the discharge and rehabilitation process, something it describes as a significant landmark for Nepal's peace process. Karin Landgren again:
LANDGREN: I think we'll feel truly reassured only when we see the discharge actually begin, because the more time has passed since 2006, the more the commanders have tended to reinforce the message that these disqualified children were actually part and parcel of the Maoist army. They also seem to have some promises and commitments made to them that they would be looked after. There have been some breakthroughs though in the past year, and finally on October 11th there was a launch with a high level visit to one of the cantonments which has given us some confidence. The Maoists are listed in an annual UN report as party to a conflict that uses children, and they are soon going to become the longest listed group there. We need to see international pressure on this issue kept up, at least until the first releases have taken place.
MCCARTHY: Well indeed what rehabilitation process has the government committed to?
LANDGREN: The parties agreed at the time in 2006 that the first step would be an honourable discharge, and getting the rehabilitation support right is really important. It's not just about release and then they're out, but about making sure that the minors can settle into civilian life. The UN has developed several packages that involve choices to be made of either continuing education, since many of the children have missed a great deal of education, or vocational training or other support depending on their skills and their interests. What the UN won't lend support to is for the former minors entering the armed forces. And as you can imagine some of the children say that this is all they're now equipped for. So getting the packages of support right will be very important and they're now also hearing from their commanders that continued military activity in some form is not going to be an option. There's a very strong commitment by the international community to support this rehabilitation process. The UN Security Council is going to be meeting in early November to review support to Nepal's peace process more broadly, and without a doubt they will look very closely at progress that has been made on the discharge of the child soldiers.
