KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government, led by former Maoist rebels, to find out what happened to hundreds of people who went missing during a decade-long civil war, a court spokesman said on Friday.
Human rights groups and families say hundreds of people went missing during the conflict that killed about 13,000 people. Troops loyal to former rulers and the Maoists were both accused of abuses such as abductions, torture, rape, killings and civilian disappearances during the war.
Hemanta Rawal, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, said the court ordered the government on Thursday to search for 434 people who were reported missing during the war, which ended under a 2006 peace deal. The Maoists won a subsequent election.
"The state cannot be free from the responsibility to search for its missing citizens," Rawal said.
"It is the duty of the government to know about their fate and provide information to their families."
The Maoists joined the political mainstream nearly three years ago, set aside their arms and confined their fighters to U.N.-monitored camps under the 2006 pact.
That deal also requires the government to set up a panel to find out what happened to those who went missing during the war. The government has promised to set up the commission but no such body has been formed yet.
The Maoists head a coalition government after winning last year's election for a constituent assembly.
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