Reuters.com Red Cross urges Nepal to find missing war victims http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSDEL44647._CH_.2400
Tue May 15, 2007 KATHMANDU, May 15 (Reuters) - Nepal's interim government, which includes former Maoist rebels, must set up a panel to find hundreds of people who went missing during the decade-long civil war, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. Rights groups blame the poorly trained military and the former guerrillas for human rights violations, including the unexplained disappearances of almost 1,000 people, during the war in which more than 13,000 people died. A November peace deal between the government and the Maoists that ended the conflict promised a high-level commission to investigate the disappearances but it has yet to be formed. "The ICRC stands ready to provide its experience and expertise in this area and calls for action by the government to work towards resolution of this painful humanitarian issue," the group said in a statement late on Monday, on the eve of the International Day of Families. In February, the ICRC published a list of 812 people, including women, who went missing due to the conflict. Another 131 families have since complained of missing relatives, the Geneva-based agency added. Under the landmark power-sharing deal, the Maoists have joined a provisional parliament and have been included in an interim government. They have also disarmed their fighters and sent them to U.N. monitored camps. © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
