Nepal PM resigns as anti-corruption protests escalate

The prime minister of Nepal, Khadga Prasad Oli, resigned on Tuesday amid continuing anti-government protests in which at least 19 people were killed by security forces on Monday and about 150  injured.

"I have resigned from the post of prime minister with effect from today ... in order to take further steps towards a political solution and resolution of the problems," the 73-year-old said in a letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

An aide to Paudel told the Reuters news agency the resignation had been accepted and that the president had begun the "process and discussions for a new leader."

The deaths, which included at least 17 people in the capital, Kathmandu, came amid a police response to protests that followed a ban on 26 social media platforms that had failed to comply with new state regulations — including Instagram and Facebook.

The ban was lifted early on Tuesday morning following a late-night Cabinet crisis meeting, according to Nepali Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, before Prime Minister Oli tendered his resignation.

The repealing of the ban "was among Gen Z's demands," Gurung told the AFP news agency, the demonstrations having been dubbed "Gen Z protests" due to the age of many protesters who are largly in their 20s.

But protests have continued in defiance of an indefinite curfew, culminating in the residences of several senior politicians reportedly being set on fire on Tuesday, including those of President Poudel, Interior Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Communist Party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Later, authorities said the parliament building was also set on fire.

A Kathmandu private school owned by Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana, who is also Deuba's wife, was also targeted, while the city's international airport was partially closed.

Kathmandu police spokesman Shekhar Khanal said that several groups had refused to obey a curfew, AFP on Tuesday that there were "cases of fire and attacks" in many areas.

The army posted an appeal on social media asking people to "exercise restraint" since Prime Minister Oli's resignation had been accepted.

Nepal: What are the protests about?

On Monday, protests had appeared to center on the social media ban, with demonstrators chanting: "Stop corruption, not social media."

But with the ban having lifted, the continuing unrest on Tuesday reflected a much broader frustration among protesters, many of whom are aged roughly 18 to 30, with many even dressed in school or college uniforms.

"I am here to protest about the massive corruption in our country," student Bishnu Thapa Chetri told the Associated Press.

Widespread nepotism in lucrative government positions is also at the heart of the unrest.

"The country has become so bad that for us youths there are no grounds for us to stay here. Our demand and desire is for peace and an end to corruption so that people can actually work and live back in the country."

Others directed their anger at the increasingly unpopular prime minister, Oli, his government's perceived attempts not just to regulate social media but to control it, and the authorities' brutal response to the protests.

"Punish the murderers in government! Stop killing children!" protesters chanted while police urged them to return home using loudspeakers.

"We are here to protest because our youths and friends are getting killed, we are here to seek that justice is done and the present regime is ousted," said protester Narayan Acharya.

"As long as this government in in power, the people like us will continue to suffer," added fellow protester Durganah Dahal. "They killed so many youths yesterday who had so much to look forward to. They could easily kill us all. We will protest until this government is finished."

Nepal: how have politicians reacted?

Earlier on Tuesday, Oli had called a meeting of all political parties, saying violence is not in the interest of the nation. "We have to resort to peaceful dialogue to find solutions to any problem," he said.

Oli, 73, was sworn in for his fourth term in July last year as the country's 14th prime minister since 2008. Two of his cabinet colleagues resigned on moral grounds late on Monday, before Oli followed suit.

In neighboring India, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Nepali migrant workers, the foreign ministry said it was "closely monitoring" developments in Nepal.

"As a close friend and neighbor, we hope that all concerned will exercise restraint and address any issues through peaceful means and dialogue," read a statement.

The embassies of Australia, Finland, France, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States in Nepal said in a joint statement that they were "saddened by the violence" and urged "maximum restraint."

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher