NEPAL, November 24, 2001: Maoist guerrillas in Nepal have broken a four-month truce by launching attacks on police stations in the west of the country, killing at least 100 people — most of them policemen. The violence comes two days after a senior Maoist leader, Prachanda, said the cease fire could no longer be justified because the Nepalese leadership was not being sincere. The Maoists, who have their key stronghold in the western region, are fighting to replace the impoverished Himalayan country’s constitutional monarchy with a communist republic. To date the rebellion has claimed 1,800 lives. The King has declared a state of emergency, suspending civil liberties and allowing the use of the military against Maoists rebels.
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