Cease Fire – 2006
2006
At the behest of the unified Seven Political Parties in the Parliament (SPA), who opposed the direct rule of the King, the Maoists declared a unilateral ceasefire in April 2006. This allowed them to join the non-violent opposition movement. Peace negotiations followed, and on May 26, 2006, the government and the Maoists reached an agreement on the 25-Point Ceasefire Code of Conduct. Between the signing of the Ceasefire Code of Conduct and the signing of the CPA, a number of violations of the Code of Conduct were reported. According to the Secretary General’s report to the Security Council, a total of 154 ceasefire violations were recorded. These were mostly perpetrated by new recruits from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is the armed wing of the Maoist party.[fn]”Secretary General’s Report to the Security Council,” United Nations (S/2006/1007), December 20, 2006.[/efn_note] When the CPA was signed on November 22, 2006, the Joint Mentioning Coordination Committee (JMCC) replaced the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, which had been established in the Ceasefire Code of Conduct. The JMCC was established by the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA). The committee was comprised of representatives from both sides, and was chaired by the UN. The AMMAA established the Joint Monitoring Teams (JMTs) to assist in monitoring the cessation of hostilities. The AMMAA agreement was signed on December 6, 2006.[fn]”Secretary General’s Report to the Security Council,” United Nations (S/2007/235), April 26, 2007; “Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies,” Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, December 8, 2006, accessed July 22, 2010, http://www.peace.gov.np/arvhives-13-np.html.[/efn_note]
A few violations of the ceasefire were reported after the signing of the CPA on the 22nd of November 2006. According to one such report, an Inspector of Armed Police Force and a Nepali Army Lieutenant took inappropriate action towards six Maoist cadres, including females, in the Mahottari district. In the clash, five Maoists and two policemen were injured. On the 26th of November 2006, Maoists raided a police post in the Banke district and stole nine rounds of bullets and some cash. The Maoist cadres were also involved in a skirmish in the office of District Education in the Gulmi District. Another incident was reported when Maoist cadres disrupted a Council Meeting in the Nepaljung Municipality Office in the west. Similarly, the Maoists combatants, cantoned at the Chulachuli Cantonment in Eastern Nepal, came out with weapons that were supposed to be re-stored in a container.[fn]”Nepal’s Peace Process on the Verge of Failure,” Conflict Study Center (Situation Report 19), December 20, 2006.[/efn_note]