Kathmandu: The United Nations urged Nepal's government and opposition Maoists to exercise restraint after deadly clashes between police and landless settlers in the west of the country.
The UN's human rights agency said it was investigating allegations that security forces used excessive force when they evicted the squatters, mostly Maoist supporters, from government-owned land.
One police officer and at least four of the settlers were killed and dozens more people were wounded during the eviction on Friday, prompting the Maoists to call a nationwide general strike that paralysed the country on Sunday.
"We have been monitoring the situation and interacting with actors on the ground to minimize the chances of further violence," said Richard Bennett, Nepal representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement late Monday.
"I call on the national actors to exercise restraint and prevent any incidents which could further aggravate the fragile situation in the region."
Nepal's Maoists waged a bloody decade-long war against the state before winning elections last year and forming a government.
But the Maoist-led government fell in May after the president overruled their decision to sack the head of the Army over his refusal to integrate their fighters into the military.
Since then the Maoists have held regular protests, some of them violent, and have prevented Parliament from sitting.
Last week, the top US diplomat in Nepal expressed "deep concerns about the ongoing political stalemate". Charge d'affaires Randy Berry also said recent Maoist actions were inconsistent with the party's stated commitment to peace.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, December 08, 2009, 13:15