What began as a ZZ-led social media movement for the NEPO Kids’ luxury lifestyle led to the banishment of the prime minister and the deadliest social unrest seen over the years.
Next, there is a complicated question: what will happen next.
Dark smoke feathers towering over curfew soldiers on quiet streets in Kathmandu on Wednesday morning were rumored about the possible meeting between the leaderless Generation Z movement, the army and president.
Anxious calm seemed calm after two nights of chaos sent tens of thousands of people vented their rage, igniting Congress and the Supreme Court, raiding the important symbols of the nation – and clashing with government forces and putting them under control. According to the Ministry of Health, 30 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the collision.
The anxiety began in early September, and while a group of young Nepali people were tired of seeing politician children post about designer handbags and luxury trips, most people struggled to achieve their goals and organized peaceful protests.
Anger has been cultivated for years about the worsening unemployment crisis for the country, about the youth and lack of economic opportunities, which has been exacerbated by what many viewed as a heightened gap between the country’s elite and ordinary people.
It quickly spread to the Himalayan countries of 30 million. The government then banned more than 20 social media platforms last week, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
“The accumulation of frustration led to this movement,” Sallysha Shresta, who attended the protest, told CNN, describing the ban on social media as “the last straw.”
According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 in Nepal was 20.8% in 2024. According to the World Bank, a third (33.1%) of Nepal’s GDP comes from individual remittances, which has steadily risen over the past 30 years.
“Social media is the only platform where we can talk, share and follow global media,” said Pramin, a Nepali filmmaker who attended the protest. “Our friends, our family, and most of our siblings are abroad, so that was the medium of communication.”
On Monday morning, thousands of young people dressed in school uniforms gathered at Mightygar Mandala, a memorial in the heart of Kathmandu, near the Congress building.
However, the protest quickly went out of control. Several protesters surged towards the council building, clashing with police and beginning to climb the gates. Police used live ammunition, water supply and tear gas against protesters, according to Reuters.
Nearly 19 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the clash on Monday, Nepali authorities said.
“We all felt very hopeless and helpless at that point,” Schresta said.
Several government ministers, including the Home Minister, resigned in the wake of violence, sparking widespread outrage within Nepal and internationally.
The protests swelled on Tuesday as people of all ages of age came out on the streets against the curfew and protested against the government’s bloody crackdown.
“(Gen Z) called for this corruption, this corrupt lifestyle, all these corrupt politicians’ children to accountability and fair investigation,” said Shri Grun, who went to protest after seeing reports of young people being killed.
“But unfortunately I saw (we had) that the government used excessive force to kill these young people.”
From there, my anxiety escalated.
Protesters destroyed windows, looted local businesses and burned government buildings. A spokesman for Gyanendra Buru, a spokesman for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, told CNN. Both the Supreme Court and Sinha Durbar, a vast palace complex in Kathmandu that houses Nepal’s government ministries, were on fire.
The photo shows protesters standing on Singa Durbar waving a Nepal flag in a scene reminiscent of a student-led uprising that overthrew the government in neighbouring Bangladesh last year.
The video also appeared to show demonstrators looting private residences at KP Sharmaori on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The crowd of protesters could be seen setting it up before breaking into the property and destroying the furniture.
The protest, led by people aged 13-28 (a cohort known as Generation Z), is the worst anxiety in Nepal.
Speaking to CNN, Gen Z protesters distanced themselves from the chaos that followed.
“They destroyed everything,” said Sakhadev Katley, a lawyer who attended the protest on Monday but lamented the destruction.
“They’re not just buildings, they’re not just bricks,” Schresta said. “They carry our history, our heritage.”
Oli announced his resignation on Tuesday in a letter citing “extraordinary circumstances” in the country, according to a copy of a memo posted on social media by top aides.
Dark clouds of smoke from Kathmandu were hanging as the city burned. This is a sign of chaos that has overtaken the country.
Hours after Oli resigned, Nepali forces appealed for a peaceful solution through dialogue, urging all citizens to exercise restraints to prevent further loss of life and property in this serious situation.
Even as protesters celebrated the fall of leaders they view as a symbol of deep-rooted issues, many still shook the cost of lost young lives and the disruption to the city this week.
By Wednesday, the streets of Kathmandu, scattered with piles of many burnt debris, were almost silent. Some buildings were still fixed from the fire the previous day, and rifle-carrying soldiers implemented a nationwide curfew.
What comes next is uncertain.
Nepal President Ramchandra Pauder urged protesters to “collaborate for a peaceful resolution” and called on young protesters to “speak.”
Raman Kumar Karna, secretary of the Nepal Supreme Court Bar Association, told CNN. He added that her direct appointment to the role of government has legal and constitutional hurdles and that debate is ongoing.
Several protesters who spoke to CNN said they wanted to see a new leadership with more Gen Z representation.
“I think Nepal is ready to see young faces along with experienced faces,” Katley said.
Others were worried about the response from governing classes that have been rattling over the biggest challenges over the years.
“This is very confusing. All WhatsApp groups are exploding with debate and fear,” the 24-year-old law student in Kathmandu told CNN, requesting anonymity.
“We fear that students who protest peacefully will also be targeted.”
