Nepal’s military deployed to the streets of the capital on Wednesday to enforce an indefinite curfew in a bid to restore order after tens of thousands of anti-corruption protesters stormed and set fire to the parliament building and attacked politicians.
Armed troops guarding the main areas of Kathmandu appeared to signal some sense of order returning to the city that was engulfed in violence and chaos in the previous days.
Soldiers ordered residents to remain in their homes as they checked vehicles and people, part of an operation to “normalise” the situation.
The military is rarely mobilised in Nepal and initially stayed in barracks as police failed to control the escalating violence.
Soldiers fired into the air on Wednesday after prisoners overpowered police guards and tried to escape from the main jail in central Kathmandu.
Prisoners set fire to buildings with cells and guard houses and broke down the main entrance before pouring into the streets.
The soldiers were able to block the escape attempt and transferred the prisoners to different jails.
Earlier on Tuesday, the protests had grown increasingly violent as demonstrators set fire to government buildings, including the parliament, and politicians’ homes and attacked some of the country’s leaders.
As criticism of the country’s political elite widened, the prime minister resigned, though it appeared to have little impact on quelling the unrest.
Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets, blocking roads and storming government facilities. Army helicopters ferried some ministers to safety.
Social media ban lit the spark
Protests first started last week after the government ordered the shutdown of 26 popular social media platforms it said hadn’t complied with local registration regulations.
But unrest widened among many of the “Gen Z” protesters into broader anger against alleged government corruption and control and widespread unemployment.
Many young people are also angry that the children of political leaders, so-called nepo kids, seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantage, which are often flaunted on social media, while most youth struggle to find work.
With youth unemployment running at about 20% last year, according to the World Bank, the government estimates that more than 2,000 young people leave the country every day to seek work in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.
The protests had intensified by Monday after police opened fire on crowds with live ammunition, killing 19 people.
In a bid to restore calm, the government quickly rolled back the social media ban on Monday but that did little to stem the momentum of the protest movement.
President Ram Chandra Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, appealed to the protesters to pursue a peaceful resolution and stop further escalation.
He accepted the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and tasked him with leading a caretaker government until a new one is in place, though Oli’s position and whereabouts remain unclear.
Regulation or censorship?
Nepal’s government had pursued a broader attempt to regulate social media with a bill aimed at ensuring the platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.”
That proposal was widely criticised as a tool for censorship and for punishing government opponents who voice their protests online.
The bill required companies to appoint a liaison office or a point of contact in the country and affected popular platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Rights groups called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and fundamental rights.
The registration requirement applied to about two dozen social networks widely used in Nepal.
Those that didn’t comply were initially blocked last week, though TikTok, Viber and three other platforms that had registered were operating without interruption.
Additional sources • AP