MAOISTS "DECLARE WAR" AGAINST SPLINTER GROUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001917 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER NP SUBJECT: MAOISTS "DECLARE WAR" AGAINST SPLINTER GROUP Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nick Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (SBU) According to press reports, on July 17, Matrika Yadav, Maoist Central Committee member and Chairman of the Maoist-affiliated Madheshi Rastriya Mukti Morcha, "declared war" against the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM - People's Terai Liberation Front),a Maoist splinter group based in Siraha and Saptari Districts of the southeastern Terai region. Yadav announced at a press conference in Saptari that the Maoists could no longer accept alleged JTMM killings of Maoist cadre, at least nine to date. The situation erupted when JTMM cadre shot two Maoists in Saptari in early July; Maoists retaliated by murdering a JTMM member on July 16. JTMM leader Jaya Krishna Goit has refused a Maoist call for dialogue to settle the dispute. Goit, a former leader of the Madheshi Rastriya Mukti Morcha, broke away from the party in 2004 after deciding that the Maoists were not committed to autonomy in the Terai. Yadav said the war would continue until Goit apologized. Yadav claimed that India and "royal elements" were backing the JTMM. He further said that the Maoists would target anyone who supported, encouraged, or sheltered the splinter organization. COMMENT -------------- ¶2. (C) The JTMM has been promoting anti-Maoist activities since its breakaway two years ago, but only recently have the Maoists drawn national attention to the clash. The JTMM currently does not appear to have the resources to pose a major threat to the Maoists or distract them from attempts to gain the upper hand in the peace process. The splinter JTMM has long engaged in Maoist-like behavior, including abducting a government customs officer in Saptari in early July. The dispute and the Maoist declaration of "war" is a reminder that Maoists continue to regard--and use--violence as a legitimate political tool. DEAN