Spanish
At least 51 people have died and more than a thousand have been injured in the social unrest led by a youth movement calling itself 'Generation Z', while the country is in an institutional limbo following the resignation of the prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, forced by the revolt.
Deputy Police Spokesperson Ramesh Thapa detailed that among the deceased are three security force officers, an Indian citizen, and dozens of Nepali civilians, according to the local newspaper 'The Kathmandu Post'.
Five days after the outbreak of the riots, 36 bodies remain unidentified at Tribhuvan University Hospital in Kathmandu, where autopsies began this Friday.
The trigger for the crisis was the government's blocking of 26 social media platforms on September 4th, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, a measure that ignited social frustration accumulated over years.
Behind the anger of the self-proclaimed 'Generation Z' lies an aversion to a political class perceived as corrupt and unmovable. In the previous weeks, viral campaigns like 'Nepo Kid' on TikTok already denounced nepotism and the ostentation of the children of the elite.
Outrage was fueled by corruption scandals that tainted the main parties, from scams involving refugees to gold smuggling, in what young people call a perpetual "musical chairs" game in power.
The escalation reached its peak on Tuesday, when groups of protesters set fire to symbols of power such as the Parliament building, the Supreme Court, and the presidential office, as well as carrying out assaults on the private residences of several relevant political figures in the country.
Cornered by pressure in the streets and after the resignation of half a dozen of his ministers in rejection of the repression, Prime Minister Oli finally resigned on Tuesday.
Now, with the violence quelled, the crisis has moved to the offices. Negotiations to form a transition government are stalled and the youth movement itself is facing internal fractures to designate a leader, leaving the immediate future of the Himalayan country up in the air.
