(UPDATE) KATHMANDU — Soldiers in Nepal patrolled the streets of Kathmandu on Wednesday, seeking to restore order after protesters set parliament ablaze and forced the prime minister to quit in the worst violence to hit the Himalayan nation in two decades.
KATHMANDU — Soldiers in Nepal patrolled the streets of Kathmandu on Wednesday, seeking to restore order after protesters set parliament ablaze and forced the prime minister to quit in the worst violence to hit the Himalayan nation in two decades.
Protests began on Monday in the Nepali capital against the government’s ban on social media and over corruption, but escalated into an outpouring of rage nationwide, with government buildings set on fire after a deadly crackdown claimed at least 19 lives.The rapid descent into chaos shocked many, and Nepal’s military warned against “activities that could lead the country into unrest and instability” in the country of 30 million people.Soldiers issued orders via loudspeakers on the streets as tanks rumbled past the carcasses of burnt vehicles and tires.The army warned on Wednesday that “vandalism, looting, arson, or attacks on individuals and property in the name of protest will be treated as punishable crimes.”Smoldering plumes of smoke rose from the government buildings, residences of politicians, supermarkets and other buildings targeted by protesters, an Agence France-Presse reporter said on Wednesday.Firefighters doused remaining blazes, including at the tower block of the key Kantipur media group.“It is quiet today; the army is on the streets in all places,” said one soldier inspecting cars at a makeshift street checkpoint, who could not be named as he was not authorized to speak to reporters.Gangs on Tuesday had attacked and set fire to the house of KP Sharma Oli, the 73-year-old, four-time prime minister and leader of the Communist Party.He later quit to allow “steps toward a political solution.” His whereabouts are not known.‘Call it off’Nepali Army chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel appealed for talks in a video message issued on Tuesday night.“To provide the nation with a peaceful resolution, we urge all groups involved in the protest to call it off and engage in dialogue,” he said.The International Crisis Group called it a “major inflection point in the country’s uneasy experience with democratic rule.”United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged “restraint to avoid a further escalation of violence,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.Prime Minister Narendra Modi of neighboring India said the “stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us.”What happens next is unclear.“The protesters, leaders who are trusted by them, and the army should come together to pave the way for a caretaker government,” constitutional lawyer Dipendra Jha told AFP.Crisis Group analyst Ashish Pradhan echoed that, saying a “transitional arrangement will now need to be charted out swiftly and include figures who still retain credibility with Nepalis, especially the country’s youth.”But with the speed of the youth-led uprising, it remained unclear who the young protesters will mobilize behind to lead the country out of the political vacuum.People aged 15 to 40 make up nearly 43 percent of the population, according to government statistics, while unemployment hovers around 10 percent and gross domestic product per capita is just $1,447, said the World Bank.Several social media sites — including Facebook, YouTube, and X — were blocked on Friday after the government cut access to 26 unregistered platforms.Since then, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive vacations have gone viral on TikTok, which was not blocked.
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