The United States has expressed concern over the resumption of an insurgency in Nepal, urging Maoist rebels to abandon violence and calling for the restoration of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom.
Maoist leader Pranchanda called off a four-month-old ceasefire with the government on Monday, which led to a series of explosions in state-owned buildings outside the Nepali capital.
"The United States is deeply concerned by the Maoists announcement January 2 ending their unilateral ceasefire," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters on Tuesday.
"We condemn the Maoist bombings of government office buildings outside Kathmandu," he said.
The rebels blamed military action for resuming the insurgency, saying the army did not match the ceasefire declared unilaterally by the Maoists in September.
There were three blasts in the western tourist town of Pokhara on Tuesday, bringing to six the number of explosions since the end of the ceasefire.
"The United States has consistently called upon the Maoists to abandon violence and rejoin the political mainstream," McCormack said.
"The end of the ceasefire at this time is unhelpful and contrary to that goal. There can be no excuse for the resumption of violence," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"The end of the ceasefire at this time is unhelpful and contrary to that goal. There can be no excuse for the resumption of violence," he said.
{{/usCountry}}More than 12,000 people have died in the "people's war" waged by the Maoists since 1996 to topple the monarchy and establish a communist republic.