Bringing in the Maoists

Keeping the Maoists and their army at an arm's length will not only be self-defeating, but will also undermine any possibility of stability returning to Nepal.

Nepal's Maoist leader Prachanda has suggested that his guerrillas and government troops join forces to form a single army. This isn't a bad idea. Overcoming the decade-long insurgency will not be a simple task. For one, it requires outside-the-box thinking. For another, it needs the spirit of compromise on both sides.

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It also requires practical steps to ensure that the Nepali army and the Maoists do not remain as hostile entities, but begin to function as a single instrument of the State that is being shaped by the events of April 2006.

Keeping the Maoists and their army at an arm's length will not only be self-defeating, but will also undermine any possibility of stability returning to Nepal. Disaffected cadres could undermine any moves towards peace. On the other hand, having them in the Nepali Army will not only give the Maoists a stake in the new system, but also confidence against any double-cross. Getting Maoists into the army, then, has to be part of a formula of reconciliation that gets them back into the mainstream of democratic politics as well. This means the guerrillas will have to swear allegiance to the government rather than a political party or ideology.

That said, armies elsewhere in the world have seen similar transformation with peace agreements including provisions for absorbing former antagonists into restructured armed forces. Thus the South African National Defence Force, created in 1994 following South Africa's first post-apartheid elections and the adoption of a new constitution - comprises several former guerrilla forces of political parties. So Nepal's Seven Party Alliance would do well to ensure that efforts at restructuring Nepal's army go hand in hand with wider efforts at economic recovery and political reconciliation.