We do not send rights violators to peacekeeping missions: RNA (nepalnews special)

February 17, 2006
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The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has said it has the policy of not sending any of its personnel involved in human rights violations to the United Nations or other international missions.

Talking to Nepalnews on Friday, chief of the legal department of the RNA, Brigadier General B A Kumar Sharma said the RNA has already adopted the policy of not sending its personnel found guilty of human rights violations to the UN peacekeeping missions or any other missions abroad.

Commenting on the latest report of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Sharma said that the RNA has already apprised the OHCHR about the provision. He expressed surprise over the statement but said, “We will take it as their suggestion.”

Making public its report on Thursday, the OHCHR in Nepal called upon the Nepali authorities to hold accountable what it called perpetrators of human rights violations within the security forces and exclude them from participating in the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Nepali rights groups as well as the Amnesty International had recently demanded that the UN prohibit soliciting Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) personnel in its peacekeeping operations in view of what they called gross human rights violations by RNA.

RNA brass refute such allegations and say they have attached great importance to respect human rights provisions and those found guilty of rights violations have been punished.

According to RNA, 106 army personnel have faced two months to seven years of imprisonment, 59 have been suspended, 42 demoted, 19 faced postponement of grades and 24 faced postponement of promotion for violating human rights following the mobilization of security forces against the Maoist rebels in November 2001.

Likewise, seven army men received warnings, seven were asked to provide compensation to the victims and over one hundred others faced various actions for violating human rights.

“RNA is committed to uphold human rights norms in all its operations,” said Brigadier General Sharma.

Participation in the UN peacekeeping missions has been a matter of great pride and a source of substantial revenue for the RNA.

RNA has been taking part in the peacekeeping missions in different countries under the auspices of the United Nations since 1958—the year UN Peace Support Operations deployed military observers in the Middle-East.

At present, the Royal Nepalese Army personnel are deployed across 12 missions around the world, namely Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burundi, Kosovo, Lebanon-Israel, Ethiopia- Eritrea, Haiti, Sudan, and East Timor.

In addition, RNA has sent an officer to the UN HQ Mission Planning Cell and one liaison officer to the Iraq Liaison Office, Tampa Bay, Florida. Maj Gen Balananda Sharma of the RNA is currently serving as the Force Commander at the UNDOF HQ.

Among the 102 troop contributing countries, the top four contributors are from the South Asian Region and Nepal ranks fourth with a total contribution of 3451 UNMOs, CIVPOLs and Peacekeeping Troops.

According to RNA, 49 RNA personnel have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and 49 RNA personnel have been disabled while taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions.