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Country Reports on Terrorism 2008 - Nepal

While Nepal experienced no significant acts of international terrorism, several incidents of politically-motivated violence occurred across the country. Nepalese voters elected the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists), a designated organization on the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL), to lead the government. In response to continued violence by Maoist-affiliated youth, other political parties condoned the use of violence for their youth wings. Unrest in the southern Terai plains increased with the proliferation of numerous armed groups. Nevertheless, the Nepalese government made some headway in counterterrorism efforts, specifically with the passage of anti-money laundering legislation and the arrest of individuals suspected of terrorist ties. U.S. antiterrorism assistance was constrained by the presence of the Maoists within the government.

In April, the Communist Party of Nepal won a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election and went on to create a new coalition government in August. Although the Maoist party ended a ten-year insurgency in 2006 and entered into the interim government in April 2007, factions of the Maoists continued to engage in violence, extortion, and abductions. The Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League, which included former members of the People's Liberation Army and grew increasingly prominent during 2007, carried on the Maoist militia's tactics of abuse, abduction, murder, intimidation, and extortion in cities and villages.

There were no indications that Nepal was a safe haven for other international terrorists; however, authorities arrested several individuals with suspected ties to Pakistani terrorist organizations using Nepal to transit between Pakistan and India. The interim Parliament passed anti-money laundering legislation in January, which led to the creation of a Financial Information Unit (FIU). Although faced with resource and staffing constraints, the FIU responded favorably to U.S. requests to freeze the assets of individuals and entities involved in the terrorist financing when or if such assets were discovered.

The United States sponsored the attendance of Nepalese security force officers at various international counterterrorism events, and hosted a regional counterterrorism seminar in Kathmandu with participants from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

Topics: Terrorism, Counter-terrorism,