Asiatica Association

Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda resigned on Monday after a crisis sparked by his sacking of the country’s army chief, plunging the Himalayan republic into political turmoil. The 8- month-old Maoist-led government fired General Rookmangud Katawal on Sunday, accusing him of disobeying instructions not to hire new recruits and refusing to accept the supremacy of the civilian government (from Reuters India).

New troubles for the already troubled Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Ram Baran Yadav, the President of the new state, has ordered the general of the Army Rookmangud Katawal to remain in office despite his dismissal by Prachanda. He said that the sacking of general, who refused to integrate the over 20,000 ex-Maoist soldiers into the national army, was unconstitutional. The rehabilitation of Maoist combatants had been one of the main political and social problems since the beginning of Prachanda government. In fact, he cannot betray his first supporters and comrades but he cannot integrate them into the national army either, according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the ad interim government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) signed on November 22, 2006.