Photo Essays
3 MIN READ
Rolpa and Rukum 13 years after the war
The Maoist insurgency began with simultaneous attacks on three police posts on Feb 13, 1996, two of which were in Rolpa and Rukum. With the attacks began a decade long civil war that claimed close to 17,000 lives, and led to a political transformation that changed the course of Nepali history. The Maoists gained a stronghold on political power after the war. They have led three governments and, since their merger with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) have formed the largest ruling party in Nepal to date.
In Rolpa and Rukum, the Maoists had some support— and a strong coercive network — which they used to establish parallel governments and state structures. The general consensus in political circles is that the war is over and Nepal has successfully transitioned into a federal democracy. But a splinter group, led by former Maoist youth leader Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’, who hails from Rolpa, believes that the revolution is far from complete. He is now attempting to mobilize a new generation of youth in Rukum and Rolpa to fight for this cause under the banner of his Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).
13 years after the end of the war, we visit Rolpa and Rukum to see what life is like in what was, and continues to be, the Maoist heartland.
:::
We welcome your comments. Please write to us at letters@recordnepal.com
Nabin Bibhas Nabin Bibhas has worked as a journalist for a decade, and closely follows Nepal's politics. He is the author four collections of essays, poetry, and short stories. He tweets @NabinBibhas
Podcast
Features
Longreads
23 min read
A trial in Dailekh and its lessons for transitional justice in Nepal
Week in Politics
4 min read
The week in politics: what happened, what does it mean, why does it matter?
Features
21 min read
Remembering the Royal Nepal Army’s actions in wartime
Features
10 min read
Prabes Roka Magar spent 10 years fighting the state but now he’s disillusioned and looking to start a wine factory in Thabang, the heart of the Maoist insurgency.
Features
5 min read
NCP faction names Madhav Kumar Nepal as the party chief to replace KP Oli as Oli expands the party’s central committee by incorporating his loyalists
Features
4 min read
An exhibition documents victims’ narratives from the armed conflict
Photo Essays
4 min read
The coronavirus pandemic brought a faint hope for some that their family members who disappeared during the People’s War might finally return
Longreads
Features
14 min read
Fifteen years since the 10-year conflict ended, there is no justice and little peace for victims of rape and sexual violence.