From the Hills to the Streets to the Table: Civil Resistance and Peacebuilding in Nepal
This case study builds upon Véronique Dudouet’s 2017 ICNC Special Report, Powering to Peace: Integrated Civil Resistance and Peacebuilding Strategies, to the case of Nepal. Using Dudouet’s framework on the interaction between civil resistance and peacebuilding, it examines how nonviolent civic mobilization, armed insurgency, and negotiated settlement collectively shaped Nepal’s political transition.
The study traces the roots of conflict from the structural inequalities and governance crises of the 1990s through the decade-long Maoist insurgency (1996-2006). It places particular emphasis on the 2006 People’s Movement (Jana Andolan II), a nationwide civil resistance campaign that united political parties and civil society in sustained nonviolent protest against autocratic rule. The movement shifted the balance of power, compelling political concessions and opening space for negotiations.
The analysis explores how civic pressure “in the streets” translated “to the table” contributing to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the formal end of armed conflict. By situating Nepal’s experience within an integrated civil resistance peacebuilding framework, the study highlights key lessons on sequencing, inclusivity and the challenges of sustaining democratic transformation after war.
