Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns Amid Deadly Youth-Led Protests in Kathmandu

By Staff, Agencies

Nepalese Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as violent anti-government protests engulfed the capital, Kathmandu, marking the country’s most serious unrest in decades.

The army confirmed that Oli, along with six cabinet ministers, was evacuated to an undisclosed location after demonstrators set fire to the residences of both the prime minister and the vice president.

The protests, largely led by young people in their late teens and early 20s, erupted on Monday after the government banned Facebook, YouTube, X and other major social media platforms. Although the ban was revoked on Tuesday, anger had already spiraled into mass unrest.

By Tuesday evening, at least 19 people had been killed in Kathmandu alone, and around 400 were injured — including more than 100 police officers.

“I joined for a peaceful protest, but the government responded with violence,” a 20-year-old protester told AFP.

Visuals from the capital showed smoke rising from the parliament building, which was set ablaze. Local outlets also reported that several ministers’ homes were looted amid the chaos.

The unrest reflects deep-seated frustration with corruption and economic hardship in the Himalayan nation, which has faced persistent political instability since the abolition of its Hindu monarchy in 2008.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy urged tourists to coordinate with hotel contacts for evacuation through three designated routes out of the country, as Kathmandu remains under curfew. Nepal’s tourism board and police also organized shuttle buses to the airport, where international flights were grounded earlier in the day.

India’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern, stating: “We are closely monitoring the developments in Nepal since yesterday and are deeply saddened by the loss of many young lives”.