Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned Tuesday amid violent demonstrations in the capital that saw protesters set fire to the homes of top political leaders and follow a day in which police opened fire, killing 19 people, officials and news agencies reported.
“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his resignation letter to President Ram Chandra Poudel, Reuters reported.
The unrest began after the government moved to restrict social media platforms with a bill requiring networks to register and submit to oversight, and authorities blocked Facebook, X and YouTube last week after the companies failed to comply, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. Officials said the ban was intended to ensure platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable,” a justification that critics called censorship and an effort to stifle dissent.
Protesters attacked properties belonging to President Ram Chandra Poudel, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, according to local and international reporting. Witnesses told local media that some government ministers were airlifted by military helicopters as smoke from the fires forced the closure of Kathmandu’s main airport.
The social media ban was lifted early Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, but a curfew remained in place in Kathmandu and other cities and schools in the capital were closed. Demonstrations continued in parts of the city, with protesters throwing stones at police in riot gear while security forces used loudspeakers urging crowds to disperse.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned at an emergency Cabinet meeting late Monday, and Nepal’s Army said Oli’s resignation had been accepted, posting on X that it “sincerely urge[d] all citizens to exercise restraint to prevent further loss of life and property in this critical situation.”
Oli, 73, who was sworn in last July for his fourth term, had called for a meeting of political parties in the hours before his resignation and said dialogue was necessary to resolve the crisis, Reuters said.
The protests, which some media and participants described as driven by younger demonstrators and dubbed the “Gen Z” protest, began as opposition to the social media restrictions but quickly broadened into wider anger over entrenched political corruption and economic stagnation. “I am here to protest about the massive corruption in our country,” student protester Bishnu Thapa Chetri told the Associated Press. “The country has gotten so bad that for us youths — there [are] no grounds for us to stay back in the country.”
Security forces opened fire on demonstrators on Monday in clashes outside the parliament complex, killing 19, according to Reuters. Witnesses and local media reported chaotic scenes, including the burning of party offices and leaders’ residences. Protesters chanted slogans such as “Punish the murders in government. Stop killing children,” as they clashed with police, Reuters reported.
Political leaders across the spectrum rushed to condemn the violence and called for restraint. The mass demonstrations and the attack on parliament intensified pressure on the government and prompted emergency meetings among officials. International reaction included calls for calm and appeals for a peaceful, constitutional resolution to the crisis.
Authorities have not provided a final toll of arrests or a comprehensive accounting of property damage. Investigations into the circumstances of the police shootings and the sequence of events that led to widespread arson and the political crisis were expected to follow, officials said. Political parties and civil society groups called for dialogue and an inquiry into both the use of force and the grievances that fueled the protests.
The resignation removes Oli from office amid calls from protesters and opposition figures for wider political change, but it leaves open questions about who will lead the government next and how Nepal’s political establishment will respond to demands for accountability and reform. The army’s appeal for restraint and the lifting of the social media ban were immediate steps taken to calm the situation, while leaders across the political spectrum face pressure to de-escalate tensions and begin negotiations under constitutional procedures.