‘New era’ for Nepal after peace deal

THE impoverished Himalayan nation of Nepal entered a new era yesterday as Maoist insurgents and the central government signed a peace deal ending a decade of civil war that has claimed at least 12,500 lives.

There was applause from hundreds of politicians, diplomats and journalists as rebel leader Prachanda and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala signed the landmark accord that formally brings the insurgents out of the hills and jungle and into the political mainstream.

“This moment marks the end of the 238-year-old feudal system, and it also marks the end of 11 years of civil war,” declared Prachanda, a 52-year-old teacher-turned-revolutionary.