Nepal waits to find out what happens next after protests

The political class has been wiped out in an extraordinary 24 hours of unrest, leaving chaos, curfews and few candidates remaining to take the country forward.

- Namita Singh reports

Armed troops patrolled the streets of Kathmandu yesterday as Nepal grappled with its most serious political crisis in decades, after KP Sharma Oli was forced to resign as prime minister amid violent protests that left at least 19 people dead and much of the nation's political establishment in flames.

The Himalayan republic - sandwiched between India and China - has been engulfed by unrest since last week, when the government abruptly banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X (Twitter), in an attempt to silence criticism.

The ban only deepened frustration among young Nepalis already disillusioned by corruption, unemployment and a political elite seen as unaccountable.

By Monday, demonstrations turned deadly as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, killing at least 19 people - 17 of them in Kathmandu, many still in their school or college uniforms. By Tuesday, protesters had stormed parliament, torching its main hall, while flames spread to the Supreme Court, the prime minister's residence and even the president's private home. Burnt vehicles and twisted debris still littered the capital's streets as army firefighters struggled to contain the damage.

The crisis has now pushed Nepal's institutions to breaking point. Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel appealed to the citizens for peace and urged the protesters not to resort to arson and looting.

Even the president, Ram Chandra Poudel, who accepted Mr Oli's resignation, saw his private residence set ablaze.