The Government of Nepal has presented this Sunday a US aid package of 500 million dollars for approval in Parliament. The decision has given rise to a wave of protests and clashes between the police and the demonstrators who oppose the approval of this financial donation.
The police have harshly suppressed the protests with bamboo sticks, tear gas and water cannons. For their part, protesters have gathered around Parliament to break through barricades with wire while throwing stones at riot police.
The communist parties oppose and reject US interference.
Opposition to this aid comes mainly from the two communist parties that are part of the coalition government: they claim that the conditions of the donation agreement could prevail over Nepalese laws and threaten the country’s sovereignty.
For them, this aid package is part of Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy that aims to gain ground against China in the area.
For their part, US officials have spoken with Nepali leaders to ensure that the grant will focus only on the development of the country and that it does not have any military overtones. The economic donation is conceived to be used in the construction of infrastructure for energy transmission and for the improvement of roads in this Himalayan nation.
The debate to approve the aid is expected to last several days
In Parliament, Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has presented the subsidy proposal, while several lawmakers have opposed the measure. Security personnel had to prevent protesting demonstrators from approaching the minister.
The debate is expected to last several days before the US aid package is put to a vote. Although it was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, disagreements between political parties and clashes with the police outside Parliament led to its postponement.