Over the course of the past two weeks, Nepal has become the third South Asian government in recent years to fall to a youth-driven revolt. Sept. 8 saw thousands of Gen-Z Nepalese citizens engaged in peaceful protests against unchecked government overreach, years of economic exploitation and attempts at silencing their right to free speech.
These protests quickly turned violent; several protesters died, and hundreds were injured. By Sept. 9, Nepalese protesters had overtaken and burned down the Parliament building, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli had resigned.
Nepal’s economic condition has been a matter of tension for years. Almost one-third of the Nepalese Gross Domestic Product relies on money sent home from abroad by Nepalese citizens, according to a study conducted by the World Bank in 2024, and youth unemployment is officially reported to be at more than 20 percent.
Dissent was furthered by a viral online movement against “Nepo Kids”–the children of politicians who were showing off their rich lifestyles. In response to these social and economic inequalities, among less immediate qualms, a social anti-corruption movement against the government began circulating on social media.
In a move generally regarded as a suppression of further government criticism, the Nepalese government suspended 26 social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Japan’s LINE, China’s WeChat and Discord, among others, on Sept. 4.
This was seen as a “last straw” by the Nepalese youth, and conversations around organization redoubled. Mass peaceful protests were arranged on Sept. 8 across Kathmandu and other Nepalese cities, with thousands of Gen-Z youths gathered at the Maitighar Mandala monument near the Federal Parliament Building.
The protests turned violent when police used water cannons, tear gas and live ammunition against protesters, according to NYT reports. At least 19 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the clashes.
Outraged, the protesters continued pressing forward with direct action and targeted the Parliament Building and the homes of the now ex-Prime Minister Oli and former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, setting fire to them.
Many news sources incorrectly claim that Khanal’s wife died in the fire. According to the Kathmandu Post, a regional news outlet, “Kirtipur Hospital Director Kiran Nakarmi confirmed that [Ravi Laxmi] Chitrakar [Khanal’s wife] is in critical condition in the ICU.” She was escorted to the hospital by protesters after being found in the building.
Sept. 9 saw the resignation of Prime Minister Oli among several other governmental officials. Following his resignation, the Nepalese army instituted a nationwide curfew, culling further protests, and entered negotiations with protesters.
Organized by protesters, a vote was held on a public Discord server where over 145,000 Nepalese citizens voted for an interim prime minister. On Sept.10, Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female chief justice, was officially chosen.
After consultations with the army, the decision was relayed to the president’s office, and Karki was sworn in on Sept.12 as Nepal’s first female prime minister following the dissolution of the second federal parliament of Nepal.
Sept.15 saw the reveal of Prime Minister Karki’s cabinet members. It was decided that the new cabinet will remain in office under interim Prime Minister Karki until a successor government is appointed upon general election.
Elliot Yap is a sophomore majoring in Art and minoring in photography
