Nepal on the boil; PM resigns as parliament set on fire by angry protestors
KATHMANDU (Nepal), 6 days ago
Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was forced to resign on Tuesday by angry young anti-corruption protesters who defied a curfew and clashed with police a day after 19 people died in a first day of protests. The demonstrators set several buildings on fire including the PM office and parliament building.
Anti-corruption protests escalated in Nepal's capital Kathmandu today (September 9), as government buildings were set ablaze.
The unrest was sparked by a social media ban, which has now been reversed by the government. Young people took to the streets, fuelled by anger over corruption and "nepo kids" - the children of politicians showing off their lavish lifestyles.
It has now grown into a wider anti-corruption movement that took to the streets on Monday, reported BBC.
In total, at least 22 people have been killed in the protests and dozens more injured after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm parliament.
Demonstrators targeted government offices, including Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office, and set fire to the private residences of President Ram Chandra Poudel, Oli, and several former prime ministers, reported The Indian Express.
The protests, which erupted over a social media ban and allegations of rampant corruption, have turned violent, leaving dozens injured and prompting the closure of Tribhuvan International Airport.
Oli, who began his fourth term in July last year, said in his resignation letter that he stepped down “to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the Constitution.”
Amid the unrest, the Nepal Army and senior security officials issued joint appeals urging restraint and dialogue as the only way to restore stability.
The Army pledged to protect the country’s independence, sovereignty, and citizens’ lives and property while analysing the Gen Z movement’s developments.
In a video message released on social media, Chief of Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel says the military was committed to safeguarding national unity and territorial integrity.
He says there has been huge loss of life and property during the protests so far and urged demonstrators to show restraint.
The Nepal Army took control of the Tribhuvan International Airport after the agitators tried to enter its premises in the evening. Flight services at the airport were partially suspended in view of the protests.
The army also took control of Singhdurbar, the government's main secretariat building, after the protesters burnt houses inside the complex. The army entered the complex and took control after evacuating the protesters.
"It is our common responsibility to maintain law and order, ensure national unity and not to let additional loss of life and property,” stated the Army chief.
Protesters have defied curfews, setting fire to vehicles, schools, and ministers’ homes, including those of former PMs Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Authorities warned that continued violence would mobilise all security mechanisms to contain the situation, even as the Army encouraged citizens and protesters to maintain social harmony and national unity,
Reacting to the turmoil in Nepal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed concern saying that the “violence in Nepal is heart-rending” and that he was anguished over the loss of lives.
In post on X, Modi added that Nepal’s stability, peace, and prosperity are of “utmost importance” to India and appealed to all Nepalis to support peace.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy described the situation as “so unlike Nepal” and feared that casualty numbers will rise.
Nepal, a Himalayan country of 30 million people, is known for its turbulent politics and has seen more than a dozen governments since it transitioned to a republic after abolishing its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 following a decade-long civil war, reported CNN.
"Lots of my staff here are crying," she told UN News in an interview. "They haven't seen violence in their lifetime."
