Nepal Maoists start leaving camps to enter civilian life

Feb 3, 2012, 13:39 GMT

Kathmandu - Former rebels in Nepal who have opted for voluntary retirement started leaving their camps on Friday as part of a government plan to reintegrate the former Maoist guerrillas into society.

Government officers from the Army Integration Special Committee arrived at the seven Maoist encampments in different parts of the country to hand out the first installment of a severance package announced for the ex-combatants.

The Maoists waged a decade-long war from 1996 in which 16,700 people were killed. The ex-combatants have been living in seven encampments since the war ended in 2006, when the Maoists signed a peace accord with the government.

'The combatants will have to leave the cantonments by mid-February,' said Balananda Sharma, coordinator of the army committee. 'They will receive half the installment now ... and the remaining amount ... later, within this fiscal year.'

Besides traveling allowances, each former rebel will receive from 500,000 Nepalese rupees (6,250 dollars) up to 900,000 rupees, depending on their rank in the Maoist forces.

Out of the 19,000 Maoists in the camps, 7,365 have opted for the retirement plan. Others want to join the Nepalese army.