|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Nepal is finally counting up the total cost of its recent efforts to limit free speech. The death toll has now reached a staggering 72, with more than 2,100 confirmed injured, following the nationwide shutdown of 26 social media platforms which triggered youth-led protests and a lethal response from security forces. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned, and former chief justice Sushila Karki now leads an interim government. Curfews in the country’s capital, Kathmandu, have been lifted, and the army’s presence is limited to key sites only. It would seem the immediate crisis has eased, but this is nowhere near being declared over.
What Changed in Nepal Since Our Last Report
The social media ban was the spark for the initial protests, but not the true fuel that ignited the country. Authorities reversed the ban as soon as the killings began, and President Ram Chandra Paudel asked Sushila Karki to take charge following the Prime Minister’s resignation. Reuters and AP have confirmed the death toll has risen to 72 as families and hospitals finished counts, and funerals hosted at Pashupatinath temple have given the country a place to focus their grief and anger. Normal traffic around the city has resumed since curfew orders were lifted, and although Nepal is no longer under blanket restrictions, sensitive zones remain guarded.
Markets have resumed trading, offices are reopening, and daytime life looks familiar again. The army has stopped patrolling neighbourhoods, but has continued controlling the scorched areas of parliament, ministries and compounds that were burnt amidst last week’s chaos. While residents are keen for peace, the demand for accountability is rightfully widespread and serious. Who gave the orders to use live ammunition? How did this all go so wrong?
Will the New Prime Minister Make a Difference?
Sushila Karki, 73, is a former chief justice known for rulings on anti-corruption. She’s already started naming her interim cabinet with a keen interest on total reform. Reports by Al Jazeera and Reuters indicate that young organisers who started the protests, coordinating on Discord and Instagram, were responsible for pushing Karki’s name during the transition and maintain influence over the agenda behind the impending reform. Until elections take place on 5 March 2026, Karki’s role, and intention, is to prosecute those responsible and deliver stability to the country.
Sentiment in Nepal & What Happens Next
Trust is thin, grief is widespread, but the relief is tangible. Families bury their relatives, demanding names of the chain of command that led to the platform blackout and the shootings that ensued. Karki continues urging calm, promising to meet the public’s demand to end corruption. While it doesn’t guarantee patience from the population, it’s certainly created a window for the interim government to demonstrate what reform looks like. But, if inquiries stall or don’t deliver, the youth are poised to return to the streets in protest.
There will be a National Day of Mourning held in the country, and the government has announced compensation for the families of those killed. An inquiry has been opened to identify who was responsible for authorising live fire on protestors, and who implemented the platform kill switch in the first place. The security posture has changed, removing the military from the front line, and returning to standard policing measures. As such, the temperature appears to have cooled in Kathmandu, but authorities remain cautious of further flare-ups.
The Bigger Picture
Nepal isn’t alone. Other South Asian countries have seen waves of youth-driven unrest against corruption and economic stagnation:
- Bangladesh deployed the army and imposed curfews, just like Nepal, during student protests over job quotas, with demonstrations leaving more than 110 dead in a week.
- Sri Lanka’s 2022 Aragalaya movement forced a president to flee following the economic collapse and left security forces to clear protest camps after mass occupations of government sites.
- Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in 2023, resulting in widespread violence and restricted access to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, and some regions experiencing a total internet blackout.
- India broke the global record for internet shutdowns in 2023, topping the list for the fifth successive year, due to “political instability and violence”
The common threads are trust deficits, rife corruption, cost-of-living pains and anger at impunity. And, worryingly frequently, states impulsively reach for emergency tools and forceful responses that often inflame the situation rather than soothe it.
Why It’s Important Beyond Nepal
As outlined in our previous reports, the control sequence is becoming familiar worldwide. Governments draft a registration law or new regulation, often with unrealistic requirements or a deadline too short to comply with, pull the plug, and then try to quash the public response. Nepal shows the limits of that approach in human terms, with a response from the people that nobody expected. The blackout only actually lasted the night, but the casualties will scar a generation. People everywhere are waking up to the authorities’ tactics to increase controls on their citizens, and Nepal’s alleged corruption and control tactics – as well as the resulting uprising – should be a warning to all.
Final Thought
The symptoms have cooled in Nepal, with calmer streets and lifted curfews. But the true cause is yet to be treated, and the interim government will be judged by its near-term results in identifying the officials behind the deadly scenes last week, and delivering clear anti-corruption wins. While success could reset the country, failure could well reignite it, and the world will learn from how the government responds to the recent clashes.
Join the Conversation
Where will Nepal go from here? What can the rest of the world learn from the chaos? Is this just a preview of things to come in the West with more regulations and censorship, as well as increasing tension amongst the people? Share your thoughts below.
The Expose Urgently Needs Your Help…
Can you please help to keep the lights on with The Expose’s honest, reliable, powerful and truthful journalism?
Your Government & Big Tech organisations
try to silence & shut down The Expose.
So we need your help to ensure
we can continue to bring you the
facts the mainstream refuses to.
The government does not fund us
to publish lies and propaganda on their
behalf like the Mainstream Media.
Instead, we rely solely on your support. So
please support us in our efforts to bring
you honest, reliable, investigative journalism
today. It’s secure, quick and easy.
Please choose your preferred method below to show your support.
Categories: World News