One key weakness of the current peace process in Nepal is the failure to address diverse and complex security needs at the local level, while focusing instead on the issues of national security over community security, and physical security over human security. The peace process has therefore failed to address a fundamental underlying cause of the conflict - the ingrained culture of exclusivity that characterises every arena of public life in Nepal and which perpetuates the insecurity of many vulnerable and marginalised groups. Instead, a struggle for power at the expense of the needs of the majority of the population has generated the conditions within which long-standing grievances have festered threatening to re-emerge in ever more aggressive forms. The most immediate example of this issue is the emergence of violent conflict in the Terai region. Notwithstanding the serious conflict in the Terai, the potential for communal violence throughout Nepal among marginalized caste, ethnic, linguistic and regional groups and communities remains high in the post-settlement context. Further, the complex and diverse economic, political and social dimensions to security cut across ethnic, caste, class and gender lines in Nepal and the inter-linkages are currently little understood. Thus, the provision of local security is one of the main requirements for a peaceful society and sustained social and economic development.
In recognition of this urgent need for an understanding of community security needs and perceptions, Friends for Peace and International Alert undertook research in Morang, Makawanpur, Kailali and Jumla to assess the existing community security situation, people’s perceptions towards it and prospects for the future. The research was based on individual and group interviews and wider community interactions and was led by the communities themselves. Community security is therefore defined in this document as a holistic concept that encompasses not only physical security but inter alia access to resources, equitable rights to economic and socio-political inclusion and freedom from intimidation, discrimination, extortion and domestic violence.
There are four key thematic areas in the analysis of community security that emerged from this research:
- The positive and negative role played by State and Extrastate actors in providing security for communities: There has been a gradual improvement in the security situation in the villages, since the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) was signed between the rebels and the SPA Government on 21 November, 2006. However, where the police have not been able to return to the villages and the 'Maoist People's Government' has been dismantled, there is a considerable security vacuum at the community level of which criminal gangs and illegitimate forces have been able to take undue advantage. Further, the erosion of the credibility of the security forces among the local people during the past ten years has posed a major impediment to re-establishing state security mechanisms in the villages. Despite the dissolution of the Maoist People's Government at all levels, many Maoist-affiliated ‘People’s Courts’ are still in operation, partly due to their rapid justice delivery mechanism, and partly due to the government judiciary mechanism being inaccessible and inefficient. With the Maoists retaining considerable power in the villages, where state judicial mechanisms have rarely been able to reach, many still take recourse to the People's Court as their port of call for justice. The fact that many VDC Secretaries have been unable to return to their stations of duty has further served to detach the people from the government influences.
- The plurality of needs and experiences that exist regarding community security at the micro and meso levels in Nepal: A key finding of this research was the diversity of people's experiences and perspectives regarding community security. The debate over the security issues, including Security Sector Reform (SSR), in Nepal has so far been focused on macro level security and has overlooked basic human security and failed to consider the diversity of security threats to the people, resulting in a lack of understanding of what 'peace' and 'security' mean to different groups of society. There is a common perception among the marginalized and vulnerable groups that the security has improved for the 'elites' only. There are still multiple forms of discrimination and marginalized groups have been unable to reap any dividends from the peace process thus far. The failure of successive governments to address issues of particular concern to indigenous and marginalized groups has left people feeling that they have little alternative to radical solutions.The diversity of perceptions of security is illustrated by the fact that whilst male members of the community tend to view security on a physical level, equating their own security with national level security, women tended to view security on a much more human level, related with food security, access to resources, protection from domestic violence and security of their family.
- The fear of the re-emergence of conflict: Many stakeholders believe that there is a chance of the reemergence of conflict, due to a growing mistrust and suspicion at the local level, arising from long standing grievances (pre-existing the ten-year conflict), and more immediate flashpoints such as the activities of the political parties, questions over reintegration and the upcoming election of members to the Constituent Assembly. The suspicion is not only limited to the activities of the local/national stakeholders but also the activities of international actors. There is a lack of cooperation among political parties, especially between the CPN (M) and the members of Seven Party Alliance (SPA). The reintegration and reconciliation of IDPs with their communities upon their return back to their villages of origin is potentially difficult in such an environment. This is further aggravated by the absence of elected local government and weak state security mechanisms in the locality. The emergence of the YCL as a force of considerable influence is also providing space for new conflicts. The lack of vision among major political actors in acting to incorporate the grievances of different stakeholders in the peace process has sparked new rounds of violence in many parts of the country. The criminal activity growing in the border areas and the fresh violence unleashed by different groups in the plain areas dubbed as the "Terai Tinderbox" are serious threats to community security in that region.
- The need for an inclusive, locally owned community security mechanism: The majority of the people interviewed during the research felt that the present situation of conflict had arisen owing to a long-term policy of exclusion pursued by the power elites. Any kind of security mechanism, therefore, needs to be inclusive, creating a feeling of ownership among all stakeholders. Furthermore, the perception of the local communities was that any future community security mechanisms could be effective only if they possessed preventive rather than curative capabilities.
