With the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN)’s term expiring on January 15, the UN political mission’s team deputed to monitor arms at the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cantonments have started to leave, local media reported on Saturday.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Friday said UNMIN’s departure will not affect the process of army integration.

Speaking at a function, the prime minister said, “Nothing evil will befall the nation without UNMIN.”

Stating that the UN political mission stayed in Nepal for four years despite being mandated to remain for six months, Nepal said UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon wanted to pull out UNMIN from Nepal due to growing financial burden.

“The Special Committee for integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants will look after the integration task,” the prime minister was quoted by the Republica daily as saying. He said the country has military specialists as well to accomplish the task.

Currently, 19,600 UCPN-M’s PLA combatants have been languishing in around seven cantonments and 21 satellite camps across the country.