Editing History of Nepal (section)

====Nepalese Civil War====
{{Main|Nepalese Civil War}}
In March 1997, the [[Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)|Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)]] started a bid to replace the parliamentary monarchy with a new people's democratic republic, through a Maoist revolutionary strategy known as the [[people's war]], which led to the [[Nepalese Civil War]]. Led by Dr. [[Baburam Bhattarai]] and [[Pushpa Kamal Dahal]] (also known as "Prachanda"), the insurgency began in five districts in Nepal: [[Rolpa District|Rolpa]], [[Rukum]], [[Jajarkot]], [[Gurkha|Gorkha]], and [[Sindhuli]]. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) established a provisional "people's government" at the district level in several locations.

On 1 June 2001, The Massacre known as 'The royal massacre' occurred in the royal palace killing the  [[Birendra of Nepal|King]], [[Queen Aishwarya of Nepal|Queen]], [[Dipendra of Nepal|Prince]] and other people of the family. It is *claimed* that  the Prince massacred the family for some claimed reasons. Since the prince was the one surviving, He was declared king but died 2–3 days later and Prince [[Gyanendra of Nepal|Gyanendra]]  was crowned. Meanwhile, the rebellion escalated, and in October 2002 the king temporarily deposed the government and took complete control of it. A week later he reappointed another government, but the country was still very unstable.

Large parts of Nepal were taken over by the rebellion. The Maoists are driving out representatives of parties close to the government, expropriating local "capitalists" and implementing their own development projects. They also run their own prisons and courts. In addition to coercive measures, the guerrillas are gaining a foothold because of their popularity with large sectors of Nepalese society, particularly women, untouchables and ethnic minorities. Caste discrimination was abolished, women received equal inheritance rights and forced marriages were prohibited. In addition, the Maoists provided free health care and literacy classes.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Social Inequality, Grinding Poverty, State Negligence|url=http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu:81/cgnepal.html|magazine=The Blanket|date=21 March 2004|author=Cédric Gouverneur}}</ref>

[[File:Nepal maoist valley.jpg|thumb|220px|A family in a [[Maoist]]-controlled valley, 2005]]
In the face of unstable governments and a siege on the Kathmandu Valley in August 2004, popular support for the monarchy began to wane. On 1 February 2005, King Gyanendra dismissed the entire government and assumed full executive powers, declaring a [[state of emergency]] to quash the revolution. Politicians were placed under house arrest, phone and internet lines were cut, and freedom of the press was severely curtailed.

The king's new regime made little progress in his stated aim to suppress the insurgents. Municipal elections in February 2006 were described by the European Union as "a backward step for democracy", as the major parties [[election boycott|boycotted the election]] and some candidates were forced to run for office by the army.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,,1699935,00.html When a king's looking-glass world is paid for in blood]. Guardian. 2 February 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2012.</ref> In April 2006 [[2006 Nepalese revolution|strikes and street protests in Kathmandu]] forced the king to reinstate the parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/history|title=Nepal travel|access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref> A [[Seven Party Alliance|seven-party coalition]] resumed control of the government and stripped the king of most of his powers. On 24 December 2007, seven parties, including the former Maoist rebels and the ruling party, agreed to abolish the monarchy and declare Nepal a federal republic.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080519060621/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/nepal.monarchy.ap/ Nepal votes to abolish monarchy]. CNN. 28 December 2007</ref> In the [[2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election|elections held on 10 April 2008]], the Maoists secured a simple majority, with the prospect of forming a government to rule the proposed 'Republic of Nepal'.

From 1996 to 2006, the war resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths. According to the NGO Informal Sector Service Centre, 85 per cent of civilian killings are attributable to government actions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insec.org.np/victim/|title = Conflict Victim's Profile}}</ref>