Martial law enforced under army supervision in Nepal

According to the Associated Press, following attacks by tens of thousands of protesters on government buildings—setting them on fire and assaulting politicians—the Nepalese army deployed today in the streets of Kathmandu. Troops restored order and instructed residents to remain indoors.

Soldiers inspected vehicles and citizens, informing them of the newly imposed curfew. Late yesterday (September 8), the army had warned that security forces were committed to maintaining law and order. The military is rarely mobilized in Nepal, and soldiers had remained in their barracks at the onset of the recent unrest. However, after police failed to control the situation, the army intervened and announced the arrest of 27 suspects accused of looting public property.

During yesterday’s violent protests, demonstrators set government buildings and politicians’ homes ablaze and attacked several political figures. Amid growing criticism of the country’s political elite, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and President Ram Chandra Poudel resigned, though their departures appear to have had little effect on calming the turmoil.

As tens of thousands of protesters blocked roads and stormed government facilities, army helicopters evacuated several ministers to safe locations.

Additionally, after police in Kathmandu and other cities abandoned their posts yesterday, hundreds of prisoners escaped from jails.

The unrest began after Oli’s controversial decision to block social media platforms, a move that was reversed yesterday as violence escalated and several people were killed.

Reports indicate that since the outbreak of violence on Monday, at least 22 people have been killed and hundreds more injured. The protests are being described as Nepal’s greatest political crisis in decades, posing a serious threat to the stability of the Himalayan nation’s government.