The news from Nepal over the last few days has been describing the process of integration of former Maoist fighters into the Nepal army or into mainstream society accompanied by a rehabilitation package of what amounts to $6,000 to $10,000 U.S. dollars. Approximately 19,000 Maoist fighters have been living in 7 camps spread out across Nepal since the peace agreement signed in 2006. Under an agreement signed this month 6,500 of the Maoists will be recruited into the Nepal army and the rest will be reintegrated into civil society. Starting this week government monitors were visiting the camps and interviewing these former fighters to decide which option would be best for each one.

Yesterday evening we had a conversation with Jitman Basmet, a human rights lawyer from Nepal, and the executive director of Peace Brigades International, Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh. Jitman described the structure of the Nepal army as being based on a caste system, and such a structure would be hugely problematic for the Maoists who fought against such structures in the decade long civil war. They described the tension and opposition to the signed agreement among former Maoist fighters due to the fact that they see it as a recruitment instead of an integration. They spoke of the possibility of a split in the Maoist party and the potential for the outbreak of violent conflict if this were to happen.

I am concerned when I read the news today reporting on this issue. I do not see any mention of the problems associated with this integration process that Jitman and Katherine spoke to us about. I suspect that there is still much to know after reading these short news articles reporting on a nation’s struggle to adopt a constitution and build sustainable peace. I expect that there will be much more to share once we are on the ground in Nepal learning and witnessing how this process is unfolding. I am very excited to be a part of this opportunity and honored to share this responsibility with my colleagues.