The Gurkha Army is a British (there is also an Indian) Regiment greatly respected around the world for the valor in which many Nepalis serve proudly to this day. Yet, there are as many as 15,000 Nepalis who have been recruited by the Russian Army to fight their war against Ukraine! How can Nepalis be supporting this unprovoked invasion with their lives? I refer you to some great journalism carried out by CNN reporters and the photo (below) https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/asia/nepal-fighters-russia-ukraine-families-intl-cmd/index.html
As highlighted in the article, one Nepali recruit by the name of Khadka who made it back to Nepal alive but with multiple injuries sets the stage for us, “Russia’s war in Ukraine is not the first battle Khadka has fought. He was among Nepal’s Maoist rebels, who fought a bloody war with the country’s forces for 10 years from the mid-1990s. He then went to Afghanistan after being hired by a private military contractor to assist NATO forces in the country. He thought he had experienced it all in his lifetime – bloodshed, death and pain. But, some 17 years after the Maoist war ended, with no hope of a job in Nepal, he decided to fly to Russia to join the country’s military for money….”
It goes on to say, “A one-year contract is signed and the men get a Russian bank account, where at least $2,000 monthly salary is deposited. Many fighters say bonuses were also given – and the longer they stay on the front lines, the more bonuses they receive. Some say they made up to $4,000 a month.
Several of the Nepalis who fought for Russia said they had received only brief training before being sent into combat.”
To its credit, the Nepali government no longer allows its citizens to travel to Russia to work and has implemented stricter requirements for people trying to go to countries such as the UAE on a visit visa where other agents may recruit there may try to recruit them to go to Russia. Last year “Nepal’s foreign ministry urged Russia to stop recruiting Nepali citizens and send home the remains of those killed in the war.”
“Basnyat, an analyst, blames political instability and rising unemployment in Nepal as a major factor driving Nepalis to seek out dangerous employment in Russia. More than 15% of its people live below the poverty line. The estimated unemployment rate in 2022 was 11.1%, according to the World Bank, compared with 10.6% in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of Nepalis travel to Gulf countries for work every year, with international remittances amounting to nearly 23% of the country’s GDP. An overwhelming 70% of the country’s workforce is employed in the informal sector, exposing them to heightened job insecurity and limited protections.”
In other words, high unemployment continues to be a problem in “developing” Nepal, even for ANSWER graduates, which is why many chose to go abroad to seek jobs and higher education (with hopes of future employment there). However, a large majority of our students remain in Nepal and are finally able to land a job within 6 months to a year. At least, none of them have become cannon fodder despite the high bonuses offered to fight in foreign wars.
Image from CNN
