MINE ACTION IN NEPAL: OVERVIEWING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES

The document provides a snapshot of mine action in Nepal as of 2008, highlighting the prevalence of IEDs and landmines left over from the conflict between the Nepal Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It identifies significant hurdles, including the unmapped nature of PLA devices, a lack of political will within the interim government to sign the Ottawa Treaty, and inadequate equipment for the Nepal Army. While the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and civil society organizations like the NCBL have made strides in risk education and victim assistance, the author argues for a three-pronged strategy involving legislative commitment, improved logistics, and a psychological shift among Maoist leadership to ensure long-term public security.

• Since the ceasefire, over 350 victim-activated casualties have occurred across 58 of Nepal's 75 districts, with children making up a higher percentage of mine victims than in any other state globally.
• The Nepal Army's demining efforts are hindered by a lack of high-quality equipment suitable for the country's undulating terrain, despite having mapped 323 minefields (53 conventional and 270 IED-based).
• Demining PLA-planted devices is exceptionally difficult because they were makeshift, unmapped, and frequently replanted; estimates of unaccounted-for PLA devices range from 5,000 to over 100,000.
• The Maoist leadership has been slow to support mine action, viewing mines as essential strategic weapons and offering rhetoric rather than concrete commitments to the Ottawa Treaty or victim assistance.
• The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) acts as a neutral broker to build trust between the Nepal Army and the PLA, facilitating the first official cooperation agreement on 2 October 2007.
• The Nepali interim government has shown a lack of leadership and political will to sign the Ottawa Treaty, despite public professions of commitment and the creation of a Mine Action Steering Committee.
• Civil society, led by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines-Nepal (NCBL), has been critical in raising public awareness and standardizing danger signs, with 5,000 standardized signs planted in 2007.
• Current mine incidents are predominantly caused by IEDs (approximately 90%), and a vast majority of victims were unaware that the area or their activity was dangerous.

APA

Miklian, J. (2008). MINE ACTION IN NEPAL: OVERVIEWING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7274d007-3cef-4503-8f0b-d5b926f173dc/Miklian 2007 Mine Action in Nepal PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Miklian, Jason. MINE ACTION IN NEPAL: OVERVIEWING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2008. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7274d007-3cef-4503-8f0b-d5b926f173dc/Miklian 2007 Mine Action in Nepal PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{miklian2008mine, author = {Miklian, Jason}, title = {{MINE ACTION IN NEPAL: OVERVIEWING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2008}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7274d007-3cef-4503-8f0b-d5b926f173dc/Miklian 2007 Mine Action in Nepal PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }