The ten-year insurgency, which ended in November 2006, left Nepal contaminated with mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). 

Minefields had been laid at 53 locations by the Nepal Army and an estimated 274 areas are contaminated with command-detonated devices to protect military installations, police posts and infrastructure.

A large number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by the Maoist army, and to a lesser extent by the army and police, also litter the countryside.

When the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2006 the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) agreed on the self storage of all Maoist Army weapons and ammunition in the seven main cantonment areas under UN monitoring on marking the Nepal Army minefields and booby traps laid during the time of conflict by providing the necessary information within 30 days and the destruction of stockpiles of ammunition and caches of IEDs within 60 days. 

While the timelines included in the agreement were quickly deemed unrealistic, the two sides remain obliged to comply with the commitments they have made.

Programme Details

Mine Action in Nepal is supported by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who together comprise the local United Nations Mine Action Team (UNMAT). UNOPS implements projects funded by UNMAS VTF and the United Nations Peace Fund for Nepal (administered by UNDP).

All mine clearance in Nepal is done by the Nepal Army, UNMAT Nepal supports the clearance operations by providing technical advice, quality assurance and control, and a comprehensive set of trainings to increase the technical and managerial capacity of the army. The operations in Nepal are distinct from most other UNOPS-implemented mine action programmes which use NGOs and commercial mine clearance companies. The method in Nepal contributes to capacity building and national ownership of the clearance.

UNMAT also provides technical advice to the government ,specifically the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, helping them to develop their capacity for national ownership and advocating for Nepal to sign the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty.

Results

Twenty-six of the 53 minefields have been cleared as of 22 March 2010. UNMAT has also been working with the Maoist army since 2007 to demolish all remaining dangerous items stored in their seven camps. With the cooperation of the Maoist army and the support of United Nations Mission in Nepal this task was completed in December 2009 with over 52,000 dangerous items were destroyed at the camps since 2007. 

The Future

The programme will continue to support the clearance efforts of the Nepal Army through 2011 when the last minefield is scheduled to be cleared.  Additionally, the focus of the Programme will increasingly be on providing direct technical support to the Government of Nepal to help to build coordination mechanisms and capacity to deal with any residual threat after 2011.