People's War
Apr. 5, 2005 - Terathum District, Nepal - In a display of strength, the Maoists put on a parade on the edge of a village in Eastern Nepal. The Maoists claim to control 81 percent of the country, though they depend on stolen rifles and homemade grenades. When Nepal's Maoists launched their People's War against the government in 1996, few predicted it would last for long. Nine years and twelve thousand lives later, Nepal's King Gyanendra decided that the only way to defeat the Maoists was to take over the government himself. On Feb. 1, 2005, the king brought 15 years of democratic government to an abrupt end. With the backing of the army, he imposed a state of emergency, putting leading politicians, journalists and human-rights activists under arrest. Picture (c) PETE PATTISON/ZUMA Press
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