Generational uprising in Nepal leads to overthrow of government

The generational uprising in Nepal led to the overthrow of the government, and the military intervened to restore order.

The mass protests in Nepal, which lasted for generations, brought down the government with the resignation of the prime minister and the military taking to the streets. An experience that the people of Iran also need to unite more firmly to end their oppressive rule.

The widespread protests in Nepal, known as the “Generation Zed Uprising,” ultimately led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government. The army took to the streets of the capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, September 10, urging people to stay home so that the armed forces could restore order. Soldiers took control of the main centers of the city, setting up checkpoints and informing people about the curfew.

The Nepalese army announced in a statement that "27 people suspected of looting have been arrested." The arrival of army troops was a sign of a relative return of control to a city that in recent days has seen government buildings set on fire, political officials attacked, and hundreds of prisoners escape from jails.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Uly resigned from the government after the protests intensified and criticism spread, although the move failed to quell the anger of the protesters. Nepal's President Ram Chandra Poudel accepted his resignation and called for further violence to be avoided.

The wave of protests began when the government blocked Facebook, X, and YouTube in an attempt to pressure social media platforms to accept state oversight. The move angered young people and quickly became a symbol of deeper dissatisfaction with corruption, unemployment, and social discrimination.

According to a World Bank report, the youth unemployment rate was around 20 percent last year, and more than two thousand young people migrate abroad every day to work.

The widespread violence erupted last Tuesday when police opened fire on protesters, killing at least 19 people. This further fueled public anger, with protesters setting fire to government buildings, media outlets and even the homes of politicians.

Reports indicate that some political leaders, including Nepali Congress Party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, were targeted by protesters and were seen in released videos with bloodied faces.

The recent developments in Nepal have shown that an organized popular uprising can bring even an established government to its knees. This experience also has a special meaning for the people of Iran. The "Women, Life, Freedom" uprising, which began in the fall of 1401, although it was met with bloody repression by the Islamic Republic government, continues in various forms, and the fire of this protest has not yet been extinguished.

However, Nepal's experience is evidence that achieving a complete overthrow requires more than sporadic protests: "A nationwide unity and connection of all segments of society in Iran, from women and youth to workers, teachers and retirees, who have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction, but for the final overthrow of the oppressive government, these movements must become a united and unanimous wave."

The Iranian people, like the people of Nepal, demand an end to structural corruption, suppression of free speech, and blocking of cyberspace. Just as the youth of Nepal were able to force the Prime Minister and government to step down through their unity, Iranians need stronger solidarity, greater coordination, and a continued struggle to achieve true freedom from the Islamic Republic.