The Nepalese army has taken control of the streets of Kathmandu following a day of violent riots that forced Prime Minister Khadga Prasad “KP” Sharma Oli to resign. The unrest began on Monday when police cracked down on protests against government corruption and social media restrictions, leaving at least 19 dead and hundreds injured.
Despite the restoration of Facebook, X, and YouTube, along with promises of an investigation into police violence and the Prime Minister’s resignation, anger among the youth-led protesters has only intensified. On Tuesday, groups identifying as “Generation Z” defied a curfew to attack government buildings, politicians’ homes, and symbols of authority. Parliament and the former Prime Minister’s residence were set on fire.
By Wednesday morning, Kathmandu’s streets were littered with burnt-out vehicles and debris, with smoke still rising from ransacked shops and buildings. Military patrols supported by tanks and armored vehicles have been deployed across the capital, where only emergency vehicles are permitted to move.
In a statement, the army warned it would suppress “demonstrations, acts of vandalism, looting, arson, and attacks on people and property,” even as efforts continue to resolve the situation through dialogue. No official casualty figures from Tuesday’s violence have been released.
Kathmandu’s airport, closed since Tuesday, is not expected to reopen before 6 p.m. local time, according to airport director Hansa Raj Pandey.
The army has called for calm in the country of 30 million people, with Chief of Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel urging all parties to return to dialogue. President Ram Chandra Poudel and international bodies, including the United Nations and neighboring India, have also appealed for restraint.
Prime Minister Oli, 73, who returned to power in 2024 and has led the government four times since 2015, resigned to “pave the way for a political solution.” He represents the political elite that many young Nepalis, facing unemployment and widespread corruption, are demanding to remove.
As the political situation remains uncertain, Balen Shah, the 35-year-old mayor of Kathmandu and a former rapper, has called on the public to “exercise restraint” while urging them to “be ready to take the reins of the country.”
