On September 8th, the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, were loud amidst the noise of anti-corruption protesters and police motorcades. They grew louder when police began to fire on the protesters and when protesters burned government offices to the ground. This political violence did not begin on the 8th, however; it was the culmination of years of social media bans and economic corruption.
Based on GDP, Nepal is the second-poorest country in South Asia, second only to Afghanistan. The unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and older is 8.2%. The unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 is 20.5%. While it is more common for younger people to be unemployed, this stark difference in rates is just one of the reasons that members of Gen Z took to the streets on September 8th. Younger citizens had noticed the disparity in wealth and the growing economic problems in Nepal, and had begun speaking out on social media.
A campaign running across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, highlighting the luxurious lives of dubbed “Nepo Babies,” had been gaining traction in late August and early September. When the government was faced with a viral campaign targeting the children of high-earning political figures, they issued a social media ban. This ban — which took effect on September 4th — blocked the usage of 26 platforms that the government identified as part of the campaign. It wasn’t the first time that the government had banned social media over a perceived threat. In 2023, a ban on TikTok was issued, but it was dissolved later in 2024.
It didn’t take long for young people to grow angry over this, and soon many protesters took to the streets. Most aimed to make their voices heard amid economic and social corruption in the government. However, some of the protesters began to get violent with the police motorcades stationed along the streets — setting buildings on fire and accosting police officers. This led to police deploying rubber bullets and tear gas. The altercations between protesters and police quickly escalated on September 8th and into September 9th, with Parliament being invaded and burned, and police officers fatally shooting multiple protesters.
Following these violent riots, Prime Minister Oli resigned from his post and fled Parliament. The airport in Kathmandu was shut down, preventing anyone from going in and out of the city by air. The army was deployed onto the streets and subdued the situation, setting up negotiations with the protesters to determine an interim government.
These protests were not without casualties, though. At least 72 people have been reported dead. As many as 300 government offices across the country, local and federal, were sites of arson. Many more were reported injured, and the country was seemingly fractured. Nepal has only been a democratic republic since 2008, and has long faced political unrest due to Maoist groups and pressure from its neighbors. These protests are some in a long line of predecessors.
In order to ensure some order, young protesters have taken to the app Discord to stabilize negotiations and the democratic process. During the protests, Discord was used to organize an otherwise decentralized movement, and at the height of the riots, it continued to remain vital. The Non-Governmental Organization (“NGO”) known as Hami Nepal runs a popular Discord containing over 100,000 people, with more joining every day. Through this Discord server, which gained popularity during the protests, an election was held allowing the youth to decide on their pick for the new Prime Minister. Out of a few candidates in a poll, Sushila S Karki was chosen as the interim Prime Minister until the official election on March 5th, 2026.
Karki is a former Supreme Court justice who was popular amongst the youth. She is also the first female Prime Minister that Nepal has ever had. Once the election took place on Discord, Karki was brought to the President and Chief Army General, who gave their okay and had her sworn in. She has expressed the desire to give compensation to the families of protesters who were killed during the deadly riots. Reportedly, one million rupees ($11,330 USD) will be given to the families of victims. The government is also conducting an ongoing investigation into the usage of actual bullets on protesters as the number of injuries grows.
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