Dissatisfied ethnic minorities carried out a month-long relay hunger strike in Kathmandu in June. The Federal Alliance includes Madhesis and Tharus from the lowlands and Janjatis from the hill areas. In July, the coalition announced that it would begin ‘decisive’ protests, probably blocking Nepal’s highways, in mid-September.
The protestors resent the discriminatory way that new state boundaries have been drawn under the new federal constitution.
For the Madhesis, the most urgent demands are: compensation for people killed by the security forces during the protests last year; medical attention for people injured during the protests last year; and the dropping of charges against Madhesi activists.
Topics: Nepal