Nepal protesters were furious at the bloody crackdown and violated police curfew and set fire to the Supreme Court, Congress and other government buildings on the latest day of Z Z-LED protests that took over the streets of the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday and overthrew the prime minister of the Himalayas.
Officials said at least 22 people were killed and hundreds injured in a clash in Kathmandu caused by the government ban on social media platforms, but were driven by ramp-prolonged corruption by the country’s political elite and lack of economic opportunities in normal Nepali.
Police used live ammunition, water supply and tear gas against protesters, Reuters reported. On Tuesday, smoke overcast the skies above the capital, Reuters photos showed. According to a notification posted Tuesday afternoon, the country’s major international airports are closed due to violence. Later that night, Nepali forces sent troops to Kathmandu “to control the situation for the security of Nepal and Nepal.”
Nepal, a Himalayan nation of 30 million people, is known for its tumultuous politics and has seen more than a dozen governments since its transition to the Republic after a decade of civil war, after abolishing the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008.
Still, the latest protest led by people between the ages of 13 and 28 is a cohort known as Generation Z, which is Nepal’s worst anxiety in decades.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced his resignation on Tuesday in a letter citing the country’s “extraordinary circumstances,” according to a copy of a memo posted by top aides on social media.
According to Reuters, the video appeared to show demonstrators who plundered Oli’s private residence on Tuesday. A crowd of protesters sets fire before breaking into the facility and destroying furniture.
Here’s what we know about the anxiety that shakes Nepal:
Anger for the government over what many consider to be ramps, decades of corruption have already simmered, spilling on the streets of the capital in a move widely criticised by rights groups after the government blocked social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube and X.
Organizers say the protests reflect not only a social media ban, but also a generational dissatisfaction with poor economic opportunities.
“The main trigger for the protest was the recent social media ban, but a long history of corruption and bad governance is the main reason thousands of people have come out on the streets in the protest,” the 28-year-old, who attended the protest on Monday and Tuesday, told CNN.
“It was overwhelming to see such a huge turnout and the energy and rage of the people,” said the protesters who called for the government not to be named because of fear of retaliation.
According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 in Nepal was 20.8%.
Meanwhile, the virus’ online movement against “Nepo children” — politicians’ children flaunt their gorgeous lifestyle — promotes further anger by highlighting the gap between the power and ordinary Nepali people.
Nepal’s economy relies heavily on money sent home by Nepalis, who lives abroad. 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.
The protests escalated several hours after it began Monday as protesters clashed with police at the Kathmandu parliamentary complex.
Dr Mohanregumi, executive director of Kathmandu’s civil servant hospital, told CNN on Tuesday after the second day’s demonstrations that at least 22 people have been killed.
More than 400 people, including security forces staff, were hospitalized on Monday, according to a report from Nepal’s Ministry of Health.
Kathmandu Post Newspaper said the server went down on Tuesday after the building burned up.
“In a statement Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a “full investigation” and “control” to avoid further escalation of violence.
“I call on authorities to comply with human rights laws. Protests must be carried out peacefully, respecting lives and property,” Guterres said.
“The use of lethal force against protesters that do not pose an immediate threat of death or serious injury is a serious violation of international law,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
The US State Department “strongly advised” all US citizens of Nepal to evacuate until further notice and avoid travel.
Oli’s resignation on Tuesday comes after a series of other officials left over regarding the government’s response to the protest. Home Minister Ramesh Rekaku, along with Ministers of Agriculture, Water and Health, resigned on Monday after violence a day later.
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.
Later on Tuesday, Nepal President Ramchandra Pauder urged protesters to “collaborate for a peaceful resolution” and called on young protesters to “speak.”
Nepal-based public policy analyst Vinai Mishra told CNN: “When the prime minister resigns, the president will call Congress to form the government.”
With no clear majority party at the moment, lawmakers are likely to form a potential ZZ organization and interim government that will likely be involved in debate about who can lead in the short term, said Mishra, assistant professor of public policy at Kathmandu University.
In a statement before his resignation, Oli said his government was “not negative about the demands raised by Gen Z generations,” and said on Monday that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident. He condemned “invasions by various vested interest groups” for violence without elaborating who those groups were.
