Nepal remains under a nationwide curfew two days after mass protests against corruption and government authoritarianism were violently suppressed, leaving at least 22 people dead.
On Tuesday, demonstrators set fire to the Supreme Court building, Parliament, and the residence of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who had resigned only hours earlier. Protesters also targeted the headquarters of Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal, as well as the offices of the opposition Nepali Congress. Homes of three former prime ministers were attacked, along with the residence of the interior minister, who resigned on Monday.
In recent days, Indonesians have been protesting against their government, while Bangladesh also faced similar unrest in 2024.
The unrest, widely referred to as the “Gen Z protests” due to the large number of young participants, was triggered by the government’s decision to ban 26 messaging and social media platforms. Although the ban was lifted yesterday (September 9), anger had already spilled into the streets.
Today, some demonstrations continued, but most residents appeared to comply with the curfew after troops were deployed overnight in Kathmandu. By morning, the capital’s streets were nearly deserted.
Nepal’s top security officials later appealed for calm, urging political parties to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for a full investigation into the killing of protesters by security forces.
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