Prior to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accords in November 2006, developing a strong and trustful relationship between Maoist and Royal Nepali forces seemed to be a monstrous task. Whenever peace talks would begin to enter tangible phases, something extreme or an intensification of armed conflict would suddenly cause any potential agreements to fall through. However in the years following the consolidation of royal powers under King Gyanendra in 2002, Maoists and members of the former Nepali Parliament who opposed King Gyanendra’s autocratic reign began to facilitate a large-scale civil resistance campaign. Previously in 1990, a widespread civil resistance movement known as the Jana Andolan brought an end to absolute monarchy and ushered in a new era of constitutional monarchy. As a result, civil resistance was well-known to be a protest tactic with great effectiveness, however many Rural Nepalis saw it as a tool solely for the elites to use.
Spearheaded by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the Jana Andolan II began in April 2006 and lasted 19 days. It involved both SPA members and Maoists alike working in unison, a key proponent in developing a stable political future. The most important period of the movement began on April 6th with a series of strikes orchestrated by SPA members whilst Maoists blocked off District headquarters as well as several major highways. Eventually, the infrastructural stress was too much for King Gyanendra, who ultimately turned over the future of the nation to the Seven Party Alliance. The transformation of conflict issues seen here is crucial to the development of lasting peace in Nepal. Both sides of the conflict were able to put aside their differing views on the future of Nepal in order to eliminate a much greater threat in the form of autocratic rule.
After a few months, the Comprehensive Peace Accords were signed and one of the biggest concerns for the future was the pressing need to reintegrate armed Maoist forces back into the Nepali Royal Forces. In the Accords, it was made clear that members of the People’s Liberation Army (armed wing of Maoist forces) would be kept in cantonments until registered and reintegrated. The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) was established in 2007 in order to help facilitate this. The goal was simple: guide & assist in the transition period following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. UNMIN’s main task was to assist in the recording of weapons belonging to both the PLA and the Nepal Army. Each party handed in exactly the same quantities of weapons and these weapon containers are guarded by UNMIN on a 24-hour basis. UNMIN also assisted in registering Maoists soldiers, importantly helping in the process of isolating child soldiers and returning them to their respective homes. In taking a practical approach to building lasting peace, UNMIN was able to lay the framework for healthy political developments by greatly decreasing the amount of bloodshed. UNMIN’s mandate was renewed 7 times per the request of the government of Nepal, ultimately finishing in 2011.