Nepal

In 2011, Facebook and Twitter were seen as radical new tools for uprisings like the Arab Spring. Fast forward to 2025, and today’s activists operate on a whole different level. From Nepal to Madagascar, Al Jazeera’s Linh Nguyen looks at how young people, in particular Gen Z, are protesting.

Rescued trekkers reach China’s Qudang township while 200 others still face treacherous Everest conditions awaiting help.

Rescuers have guided more than 350 people to safety after they were stranded by blizzard-like conditions on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.

In total, more than 500 people were caught by surprise when unusually heavy snow and rainfall lashed them on the way in the Tingri region of Tibet, one of the main routes to ascend the world’s tallest mountain.

Those rescued on Sunday were taken to the small township of Qudang, on the Tibetan side of the peak, CCTV reported.

Some 200 trekkers who remained stranded in treacherous conditions as of Sunday were due to arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV reported.

The CCTV report did not indicate whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking parties had been accounted for. It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.

Heavy snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres (13,800 feet), began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday.

Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.

“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang.

“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly,” Chen told the Reuters news agency.

In neighbouring Nepal, Sherpa communities have been adapting to increasingly unpredictable conditions as climate change contributes to more frequent and dramatic climate shifts in the Himalayas, posing risks to climbers and the Sherpa communities who work there.

In a situation update shared on Sunday, Nepal’s Tourism Board said that search and rescue operations were ongoing after the weather “improved significantly” across Nepal, with “clear skies in Kathmandu and many other parts of Nepal”.

The update came after heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods across Nepal, killing at least 47 people since Friday.

Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.

The floods and landslides in the mountainous regions come as South Asian countries continue to battle ongoing floods, including in Pakistan, where some four million people have been affected.

Heavy rains continue to disrupt rescue operations in the Himalayan nation as authorities struggle to respond to the crisis.

Landslides and flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, have killed at least 47 people, blocked roads and washed away bridges in Nepal.

Thirty-five people were killed in separate landslides in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, Kalidas Dhauboji, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said on Sunday.

Nine people were missing after being washed away by floods since Friday and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in Nepal, he added, as relentless downpours pummelled eastern and central regions of the Himalayan nation.

“Rescue efforts for the missing persons are going on,” said Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority spokesperson in Nepal.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays nationwide, exempting emergency services and disaster response teams, as the government battles the crisis.

Government spokesperson Rameshwar Dangal cited forecasts of heavy rains as justification for the unusual measure.

Meteorological authorities have also placed more than a dozen districts on red alert, with department chief Kamal Ram Joshi warning the residents near waterways to evacuate immediately, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

The alert covers major population centres, including parts of the capital, Kathmandu, with Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Madhesh provinces expected to bear the brunt of continued downpours through Monday morning.

Transport infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with landslides cutting all major routes into Kathmandu.

The Araniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to China’s border is blocked after road collapses at multiple points, while the BP Highway linking the eastern regions is buried under debris.

Aviation authorities suspended domestic flights on Saturday due to poor visibility, though international operations continued with some disruptions.

“Domestic flights are largely disrupted, but international flights are operating normally,” said Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport.

The crisis has been compounded by its timing, striking as hundreds of thousands of people return from their homes following the Dashain celebrations, Nepal’s most important religious festival. Thursday was the main day of the two-week festival when people travel to their native villages to visit their families.

Of particular concern is the Koshi River in southeastern Nepal, where water levels have surged to more than twice their normal volume.

Local official Dharmendra Kumar Mishra confirmed that all 56 sluice gates at the Koshi Barrage have been opened – compared with the usual 10 to 12 – while authorities consider restricting heavy vehicles from crossing its bridge.

The river regularly causes devastating flooding in India’s Bihar state during the monsoons.

In the eastern Indian hill region of Darjeeling in West Bengal state, at least seven people were killed due to landslides following heavy rainfall, according to local media reports.

“Seven dead bodies have already been recovered from the debris. We have information about two more people. Work is being done to recover their bodies too,” Abhishek Roy, a Darjeeling district police official said on Sunday, the Reuters news agency reported.

Hundreds of people die every year in landslides and flash floods that are common in mostly mountainous Nepal during the monsoon season, which normally starts in mid-June and continues through mid-September.

Nepal beat the West Indies by 19 runs in the first of their three T20I matches in Sharjah, spurring wild celebrations.

Cricket fans in Nepal are celebrating their team’s historic win over the West Indies in a T20 international match, the country’s first-ever triumph over a Test-playing nation.

Nepal defeated the two-time former world champions by 19 runs in the first fixture of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday.

Nepal’s fans cheered for their team wildly in the stands at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium well after the match had ended, and the celebrations continued overnight back in the South Asian nation.

After being asked to bat first, Nepal posted a competitive total of 148-8 in their 20 overs, with contributions from captain Rohit Paudel (38) and middle-order batter Kushal Malla (30).

The Rhinos then put on a spirited bowling and fielding performance to restrict the West Indies, who won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, led by Kushal Bhurtel’s spell of 2-17 from his four overs.

🇳🇵A new chapter written in Nepal’s cricketing story! 📣

Rhinos 🇳🇵 defeats West Indies by 19 runs our first-ever triumph against a full member nation! pic.twitter.com/98cJlLMAwP

— CAN (@CricketNep) September 27, 2025

The win represents a major milestone for the rising cricketing nation.

“It is a historic win for us and helps improve our players’ standing in the cricketing world,” Chatur Bahadur Chand, president of the Cricket Association of Nepal, told the AFP news agency.

Nepali fans in replica team shirts cheered and waved the national flag as they watched the game in the stadium, TV images showed.

“It was not expected, but as the game progressed, we saw there was a chance we could win,” said Pujan Thapa, 27, who watched the game with family and friends on TV in Kathmandu.

“We were so happy, we stood up and danced.”

The win came as Nepal recovers from deadly anticorruption protests that killed at least 72 people and toppled the government.

Paudel dedicated the win to the protesters who lost their lives, saying it was for “the martyrs back home”, and that it would be great if they could give people “a little bit of happiness”.

Former chief selector Dipendra Chaudhary said the win was a result of the team’s hard work.

“It will motivate them to play well and inspire other young cricketers,” he said.

Social media platforms were also flooded with congratulatory messages for the players.

Cricket has been growing in popularity in the mountainous nation, with Nepal given one-day international status by the world governing body ICC in 2018.

Nepal made its ICC T20 World Cup debut in 2014 and returned to the tournament in 2024, when it came agonisingly close to defeating eventual finalists South Africa.

In traditional terms, a political crisis in a neighboring country is often seen as a direct challenge to that country’s national security and regional strategic interests. For most countries around the world, the situation in Nepal following the bloody mass protests, sectarian strife, and successive government crises in recent years seems to have reinforced that perception.

Moreover, Nepal is the southern gateway to Tibet, a pivot country between China and India, and a link in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in South Asia. Instability here would naturally make Beijing worry about the risk of losing influence, broken investment commitments, or even challenges to border security.

However, this is not necessarily a threat to China, and it can even take advantage of this crisis. This is reflected in the saying “When the world is in chaos, the situation is wonderful”; the power of the ruling party is further consolidated. Former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong used this argument to explain why he launched the Great Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s. If we apply this logic to Nepal today, political instability is not necessarily a risk for China but can become an opportunity to expand its influence, reorder the region, and test its diplomatic capabilities.

Chaos is not always a risk; it can be an opportunity.

Mao looked at the turbulent periods in Chinese history, such as the Five Barbarians and the warlord wars of the early 20th century, and concluded that the collapse of order does not mean the end of opportunities for development. Instability can open up a power vacuum for new forces. Nepal today reflects exactly that.

Faced with a divided political landscape, Nepal’s various parties and factions have sought international support to maintain their positions. This has enabled China to engage more strongly through aid, credit, infrastructure investment, or party-to-party diplomacy, which is Beijing’s strong point. An unstable government is more likely to make concessions in its dealings with international partners, as long as it receives timely recognition and support.

Furthermore, as Nepal’s factions compete for power, they tend to maintain good relations with China so as not to be pushed off the board. This strengthens Beijing’s position in the long term: rather than fearing a loss of influence, China can exploit the divisions to ensure that whoever comes to power will have difficulty “breaking away” from Beijing. In Maoist logic, “great chaos” means an increase in the ability to “divide and rule,” a powerful tool for maintaining lasting influence.

The old order being shaken up will create opportunities to build new influence.

Another key point of Mao’s thesis is that when the old order weakens, the force of stability and abundant resources becomes more prominent and can easily shape the new order. Nepal is in such a situation today. Political parties have taken turns in power but have failed to maintain stability, causing the state apparatus to lose credibility. In this context, China—with its economic potential, ability to deploy aid quickly, and stable position internally—has emerged as an “alternative pillar.”

More importantly, the collapse or restructuring of the Nepalese government does not mean the end of all engagement with China. In fact, the BRI, the trans-Himalayan railway, or energy cooperation can be renegotiated in Beijing’s favor if China offers an attractive package. In a situation where Nepal needs capital and technology to recover, Beijing can completely reshape the rules of the game.

In addition, instability has reduced Nepal’s dependence on India, which is often criticized by the Nepalese people for interfering deeply in domestic politics. As trust in New Delhi declines, strategic space opens up for Beijing. In other words, “great turmoil” in Nepal could be a factor in accelerating the shift in the balance of power in South Asia, tilting further towards China.

Instability is a test of the sustainability of regional strategy.

Mao once asserted, “The more chaos, the easier it is to recognize who is friend and who is foe.” Instability is not only a risk but also an opportunity to classify forces, measure loyalty, and adjust strategy accordingly. With Nepal, China can observe how parties behave in crisis: which factions seek help from Beijing and which side leans towards New Delhi or the West. These signals are real data that help China adjust policies, choose suitable partners, and strengthen the “security net” in the border region.

At the same time, the crisis in Nepal can be seen as a “practice” for China’s crisis diplomacy. Handling Nepal will provide valuable experience for Beijing in the event of instability in Myanmar, Pakistan, or even Central Asia. If handled successfully, China will demonstrate its ability to engage flexibly in the region, both protecting its core interests and avoiding falling into a US-style “quagmire” in the Middle East.

Nepal is in chaos, but China is fine.

The key point in Mao’s thinking is that the issue is not whether the world is in chaos, but whether China is stable internally. Because if it maintains domestic stability, has a strong economic foundation, and has a flexible foreign policy system, then external instability can hardly shake core strategic interests.

Nepal is just one link in China’s overall South Asia and Himalayan subregional strategy. Its spiral of instability does not directly threaten Beijing’s border security or overall power. In fact, the contrast between a stable China and an unstable Nepal reinforces Beijing’s image as a “guarantor of stability” in the region. This has a dual benefit: it both enhances China’s prestige in the eyes of its neighbors and counterbalances the role of India and Western powers.

In fact, China has skillfully used humanitarian diplomacy, such as COVID-19 vaccine support, disaster aid, and infrastructure investment, to demonstrate its role as a “pillar of stability.” In the chaotic Nepalese context, this image is even more prominent. Beijing does not need to worry too much about short-term losses; instead, it can exploit the instability to assert its long-term position.

Viewed through a conventional realist lens, the political crisis in Nepal inevitably poses many risks for China, from lost investment to instability on the border. But if we apply Mao Zedong’s thinking about “great chaos,” where chaos is a prerequisite for a new order, then Nepal now represents an opportunity for Beijing to increase its engagement, consolidate its influence, and test its regional strategy. The key is not whether Nepal is in chaos, but whether China can maintain internal stability and exploit the gaps of the times. In this logic, Nepal’s instability does not cause China to lose sleep; on the contrary, it could become a catalyst for Beijing to consolidate its power and influence in the Himalayan subregion.

Andrzej Bargiel, braving heavy snowfall, glided down the world’s highest mountain on his third attempt.

Poland’s Andrzej Bargiel has become the first climber to ski down the world’s highest mountain without supplemental oxygen, his team and expedition organiser say.

Bargiel glided down Mount Everest’s snowy slopes after reaching the summit of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) mountain on Monday.

“I am on top of the highest mountain in the world, and I’m going to descend it on skis,” Bargiel said in a video taken before his descent and posted on Instagram early on Thursday.

Everest has seen a handful of ski descents but never a continuous downhill without additional oxygen.

Pierwszy w historii zjazd na nartach ze szczytu Mount Everestu bez użycia dodatkowego tlenu ⛷️🏔️

Dziękuję wszystkim za trzymanie kciuków! 🙌

Ogromne podziękowania dla teamu Seven Summit Treks, Chang Dawa, Speed Dawa – bez Was ten sukces nie byłby możliwy 🙏

Serdecznie… pic.twitter.com/udBliwDhZy

— Andrzej Bargiel (@JedrekBargiel) September 25, 2025

In 2000, Slovenian Davorin Karnicar made the first full ski descent from Everest’s summit to base camp using bottled oxygen.

Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, which organised the latest expedition, said Bargiel skied down to Camp 2, spent a night and then reached the base camp on skis the next day.

“This was extremely challenging, and no one had done it before,” Sherpa told the AFP news agency.

Heavy snowfall forced Bargiel to spend 16 hours above 8,000 metres (26,250ft), known as the “death zone” because thin air and low oxygen levels heighten the risk of altitude sickness.

He was greeted with a khada, a traditional Buddhist scarf, when he arrived at the base camp.

“Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel has just skied down Mount Everest,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X.

Bargiel’s team said in a statement that he had made history and called it a “groundbreaking milestone in the world of ski mountaineering”.

Bargiel started eyeing Everest a year after he became the first person to ski down Pakistan’s K2, the second highest mountain in the world, in 2018.

But a dangerous overhanging serac forced him to abandon his 2019 attempt. He returned in 2022, but high winds hindered his plans.

The daredevil adventurer has been on a quest to make ski descents of the highest mountains in the world under his Hic Sunt Leones project, a Latin phrase for “here are lions” and used to refer to uncharted territories.

In Pakistan, he has skied down all four of Karakoram’s mountains that are higher than 8,000 metres and also skied off Nepal’s Manaslu and Shishapangma in Tibet.

Autumn expeditions on Everest are rare because of snowier terrain, shorter and colder days and a narrow summit window compared with the busy spring.

Bianca Adler, who is aiming to become the youngest female to conquer the world’s highest peak, has admitted her devastation at having to turn around when so close to the summit

A girl who is in the process of attempting to climb Mount Everest has been praised on social media after her latest update revealed the toll four days in the mountain’s ‘Death Zone‘ had had on her – before things took an even worse turn. Climbing Everest is a complicated process, which typically requires mountaineers to spend months training both physically and mentally, as well as acclimatising to such high altitudes.

Bianca Adler, 17, is already the youngest female to reach the summit of Manaslu [the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres] and Ama Dablam [6812 metres], and now she has her sights set on the world’s highest peak too. The teenager is documenting her progress, with her clip on TikTok going viral, with a staggering 26million views in just 24 hours.

In it, Bianca shared footage of herself struggling to catch her breath after returning to her camp. Climbers are required to complete their ascent in stages, working their upwards via several camps along the treacherous route.

‘Death Zone’ sits at the ridge of Everest’s summit, some 8,000 metres above sea level and close to its peak of 8,849 metres. It is so-called as the pressure of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span.

Camp 2, meanwhile, which is located on the expedition’s more popular South Route, sits at approximately 6,553 metres high – and it is the trek there from Base Camp (5,364 meters) that Bianca is currently working on.

Barely able to speak, she muttered under her breath: “I just got back from Camp 2 and I’m at Base Camp and I feel horrible.”

Coughing and gasping for air, she continued: “My throat and my lungs… I’m so out of breath even though yesterday I was at 8,000 metres. I’m feeling the worst I have ever felt.”

In a follow-up video shared on Tuesday (September 23), a dejected Bianca explained that she later made it as high as Camp 4 (7,925 metres) but was “devastated” after being forced to turn around for her own safety.

“It’s so hard. I was feeling so good and so strong but I had to turn around due to something out of my control,” she explained, with the aid of an oxygen mask. “I can’t do anything about that and it would have been stupid to carry on.”

She elaborated on Instagram: “I had to turn around on Mt Everest at 8450m (400m below the summit). The winds were way too strong for what I believed was right for my own safety. I could feel my hands and toes going numb, the first step of frostbite.

“I couldn’t see anything, there was snow blowing everywhere. It was an extremely tough decision, but I always want to choose life over a potential summit. I felt strong, like I could summit, and was devastated.”

Bianca continued: “The next night, my Sherpa guides and I tried again from Camp 4, but I was too exhausted from the 10-hour effort the previous night, and turned around. After three nights, and almost four days in the Death Zone at 8,000m or above, we descended back down to Camp 2.”

She concluded: “On the summit push, dad got sick and stayed at Camp 2 whilst I went up. On the way down, he was still sick and I was exhausted. We both got diagnosed with HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) and dehydration (which is normal for mountaineering). I still feel quite sick and extremely exhausted so taking time to recover.”

Scores of mountaineers were quick to praise Bianca’s efforts, however, offering words of comfort and encouragement. “I’m more impressed by how you handled this situation than if you would have pushed yourself to the top… now you can live another day,” one responded on Instagram. “That is what’s important. A true warrior.”

A second person noted: “Such a great effort and the summit isn’t what matters the most, sounds like it was extremely hard and you had to push yourself far but still had to make a tough, but correct decision, which is one of the most valuable and fulfilling experiences you can have in the mountains. So proud!”

Whilst a third individual confessed: “I can’t even imagine how thought that decision was, but safety is always number 1 and you made the right choice. The mountains will always be there girl, well done and huge congratulations on everything you achieved this season.”

As the Nepali night takes on the texture of velvet, the party naturally divides. The men sway in a circle, singing plaintively. The women surround an elderly lady who smokes tobacco rolled in writing paper. And I settle into swapping stories with the girls. Alina and her younger cousins Miching and Blinka may be draped in the silks and heavy jewellery of the Indigenous Aath Pahariya Rai community, but they’re as keen to talk love and travel as any young women. “I’m too independent to get married until I’m very old,” declares 21-year-old Alina. “When I graduate, I want to go to Paris – and then come home to Sipting. Life’s peaceful here and the air is clear.”

Curfews imposed. Soldiers on the streets. A prime minister forced to resign. After a social media blackout and years of corruption charges, the protests turned violent, leaving dozens dead.

Nepal’s army is now in talks with demonstrators to decide on an interim leader after KP Sharma Oli stepped down during the unrest. Why are so many young people angry — and what comes next for Nepal?

Presenter: Stefanie Dekker

Guests:
Birat Bijay Ojha – Writer
Sahana Bajracharya – Journalist
Subina Shrestha – Journalist and filmmaker

Nepal’s former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been appointed as the country’s new interim prime minister, following days of deadly youth protests.

Karki’s appointment was announced by the office of President Ramchandra Poudel on Friday, September 12, and she was sworn into office as the country’s first-ever female prime minister later that day.

“I did not come to this position because I had sought it, but because there were voices from the streets demanding that Sushila Karki should be given the responsibility,” she said during her first public remarks on Sunday.

Here is what we know about Karki.

Who is Sushila Karki?

Following the youth-led “Gen Z” protests against corruption in Nepal, former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned last Tuesday. Karki was appointed on Friday to lead the transitional government until snap elections in March 2026.

Karki, 73, is the first woman to head the government of Nepal.

She was born in June 1952 in what is now Nepal’s eastern city of Biratnagar, about 400km (250 miles) south of Kathmandu, the capital. Karki reportedly attended the Mahendra Morang College in Biratnagar and earned her Bachelor of Arts at age 20. Later, she attended graduate school in India, earning her Master’s degree from Banaras Hindu University before returning to Nepal.

Karki completed her law degree at Tribhuvan University in 1978, according to The Kathmandu Post, and went on to become a lawyer and teach law at Mahendra Multiple Campus in Nepal’s eastern city of Dharan.

Karki became the first female chief justice of Nepal in 2016.

In May 2017, the government tried to suspend her as members of parliament signed an impeachment motion against her after the court, under her leadership, overturned their appointment of Jaya Bahadur Chand as police chief. The court chose the highest-ranking officer, Nawaraj Silwal, for the position instead.

The United Nations labelled the impeachment effort, which was eventually dropped, as “politically motivated”, and Karki retired in June 2017.

What happened in Nepal?

Young people in Kathmandu and other cities took to the streets on September 8 to protest political corruption. There was also anger towards children of Nepali government officials – dubbed “Nepo kids” – who document their lavish lifestyles online.

Days before the protests, the Nepali government had banned more than 20 social media websites in the country for not complying with the government’s demands.

On the first day of protests, some demonstrators broke past police barriers and entered the parliament complex. A violent crackdown by security forces led dozens dead, inflaming tensions further.

The next day, protesters defied curfews to set fire to government buildings, including parliament, and freed thousands of prisoners. Nepali ministers were evacuated by helicopter to ensure their safety.

Many protesters were killed amid clashes with the police. On September 12, a police spokesman said the death toll from the protests had climbed to 51.

In response, Oli, who was elected as PM for the fourth time last year, announced his resignation last Tuesday, September 9. Other ministers also resigned from their posts.

Nepal’s army was deployed late on September 9 in an attempt to restore order. The situation has started to calm down, with schools reopening and businesses resuming operations.

Hami Nepal, the group that organised the protests, held a call on the messaging application, Discord, late last week to choose Nepal’s interim prime minister. About 10,000 Nepalis – including many from the diaspora – participated.

After hours of debate, they chose Karki.

Paudel announced Karki’s appointment on September 12. He also announced that the 275-seat parliament had been dissolved, and elections were then set for March 5, 2026, about two years earlier than planned.

Why Karki?

While the young protesters highlighted the generation gap between them and Nepal’s leaders during their agitation, they ended up picking septuagenarian Karki as their interim leader.

“This has been a concern from people here as well,” Anish Ghimre, a Nepali journalist with the Kathmandu Post, told Al Jazeera, referring to Karki’s age. “But I think the bigger picture here is people wanted someone they could trust, someone they can look up to.”

Ghimre, 24, said the decision was motivated by the young protesters researching Karki’s background and career. He pointed out how Karki has previously said during interviews that “many ministers came to her and they asked for some favour” but that she had refused to comply with their demands.

“Hopefully, after six months, maybe we can see a new face, maybe someone younger,” he added, referring to the March election.

Others also pointed to the selection of Karki being based on her reputation, despite her age.

“Gen Z protesters rallied behind septuagenarian Sushila Karki because, even in her earlier statements to the press, her image as Nepal’s first woman chief justice symbolised integrity and resistance against corruption,” Yog Raj Lamichhane, an assistant professor at the School of Business in Nepal’s Pokhara University, told Al Jazeera.

What has PM Karki done so far?

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said on Sunday.

She acknowledged the youth’s demands for the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality.

“We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

On Monday, she named three new government ministers: Om Prakash Aryal as home minister, Rameshwar Prasad Khanal as finance minister and Kulman Ghising as energy minister.

What’s next for Nepal?

With the parliament dissolved, Karki is likely to face challenges in passing any new legislation.

“Although the government has changed and parliament dissolved, no concrete programme against corruption has been introduced, underscoring the concerns of the Gen Z movement,” Lamichhane said.

“The interim government must ensure timely elections and also address the challenge of reconstruction.”

Sept. 13 (UPI) — Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in this week as the country’s first-ever female prime minister, amid continued social upheaval in the South Asian country.

The country has also called an election for March 5, which would come roughly halfway through the current political term.

Karki, 73, was hastily sworn in under heavy security as the country of almost 30 million people remains under strict military curfew following deadly protests earlier in the week that caused prime minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.

U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Dean Thompson was one of the few foreign officials present at the swearing in ceremony.

Oli, who served three terms as the country’s prime minister, had his house set on fire as part of the anti-corruption protests. The demonstrations were first sparked after the Nepalese government moved to block access to several social media apps.

Nepal’s military has moved most of the country’s serving politicians to an army barracks near the capital of Kathmandu.

The country’s current parliament was officially dissolved Friday evening.

The Communist Party of Nepal criticized the dissolution of parliament, saying it was in “serious disagreement” with the move, a sentiment echoed by the Nepal Bar Association.

Karki was chosen informally by the so-called “Gen-Z” protestors, who organized a vote on the messaging app Discord.

In 2016, she became the first woman to serve as chief justice in Nepal.

Nepal had yet to issue an official statement and the official website of the prime minister’s office could not be reached Saturday afternoon.

India’s government issued a formal statement, recognizing the new transitional government.

“We welcome the formation of a new Interim Government in Nepal, led by Right Honorable Mrs. Sushila Karki. We are hopeful that this would help in fostering peace and stability,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

“As a close neighbor, a fellow democracy and a long term development partner, India will continue to work closely with Nepal for the well-being and prosperity of our two peoples and countries.”

Following deadly protests across Nepal, the country has appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride looks at who she is and the challenges she faces.

Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride shows us what’s left of one police station after deadly protests in Nepal’s capital. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli this week.

Nepali army orders people in Kathmandu to stay home amid mass unrest gripping capital.

Armed soldiers have been patrolling the streets of Kathmandu, ordering people to remain in their homes, following a wave of deadly protests in Nepal’s capital.

The Nepali army checked vehicles and people on Wednesday amid an indefinite curfew, imposed in a bid to “normalise” the capital after mass unrest saw demonstrators set fire to several government buildings and force Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.

The protests, triggered by a social media ban, have escalated since Monday, when security forces killed 19 demonstrators and injured hundreds. Tens of thousands filled Kathmandu’s streets on Monday and Tuesday as the protests expanded to target corruption and unemployment in the country’s most violent tumult in decades.

“We are trying to normalise the situation first,” army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told the Reuters news agency. “We are committed to protect the life and property of people.”

The army’s emergence from the barracks after Oli’s resignation seemed to do little to ease the uproar across the capital.

Late into Tuesday evening, demonstrators blocked roads and stormed the parliament, presidential house and central secretariat, while videos showed protesters beating Nepali Congress party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba, the foreign minister.

Prompted initially by a now-rescinded government plan to block most popular social media platforms, protesters were galvanised by the deaths on Monday and widespread frustrations with alleged corruption and joblessness.

Pabit Tandukar, 22, was among those shot by live ammunition. “We were there for a peaceful protest. They were initially firing tear gas at us, and we were pushing back. Suddenly, I was shot,” Tandukar told Al Jazeera.

While so-called “nepo kids” — the children of top politicians and government officials — show off lives of luxury on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, most common people have been struggling with an unemployment rate of nearly 11 percent, according to the World Bank. Millions have migrated abroad to Malaysia, the Middle East and South Korea to find jobs.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak was the first to resign on Monday, followed by Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari and then Oli on Tuesday. President Ram Chandra Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, moved to appoint Oli to lead a caretaker government — though his location was unclear — and appealed to protesters to “focus on resolving the crisis without further bloodshed or destruction”.

Meanwhile, army helicopters ferried ministers to safe locations.

The protests have led to concern across South Asia over regional stability, with governments having been unseated in recent youth-led uprisings in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Neighbouring China weighed in on the unrest on Wednesday. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman told journalists that Chinese citizens in Nepal should “pay close attention to safety” and that Beijing hopes Kathmandu “can properly handle domestic issues and quickly restore social order and national stability”.

China has sought to increase its influence in Nepal in recent years with diplomatic efforts and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been forced to step down after a wave of anticorruption protests left 19 people dead and more than 100 injured, but tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets, blocking roads and setting fires to parliament and other government buildings.

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday after his administration was blamed for the bloodiest outbreaks of unrest in a decade.

Defying an indefinite curfew, thousands of young Nepalis returned to the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, demanding change and clashing with riot police. Some protesters set fire to government buildings.

The demonstrations – called the protest of Gen Z – erupted after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

But the protests spiralled to reflect broader discontent. In particular, many young people are angry that the children of political leaders – so-called “nepo kids” – seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work.

On Tuesday, despite the government rolling back its order and the apps returning online, protests reignited, spreading from the capital to multiple cities nationwide.

“The Nepal government has fallen, the youth have won the protest,” said key protest figure Sudan Gurung, in a post on newly restored Instagram. “The future is ours.”

President Ram Chandra Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, appealed to the protesters to engage in discussions to find a peaceful resolution and stop further escalation.

In a video message, Nepalese army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel urged protesters to stop the demonstrations to prevent further loss of lives and property and to come forward for dialogue.

Nepal’s struggle with weak governance

The upheaval is the most serious since 2008, when street demonstrations brought down Nepal’s centuries-old monarchy.

Despite democratic reforms, the Himalayan nation of 30 million has struggled with weak governance and endemic corruption. Economic opportunities remain scarce, forcing millions of Nepalis to seek work abroad in Gulf states, South Korea and Malaysia, sending money home to sustain their families.

With youth unemployment running at about 20 percent last year, according to the World Bank, the government estimates that more than 2,000 young people leave the country every day to seek work in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.

Oli, 73, had been in office for his fourth term since July last year, becoming the 14th prime minister in the post-monarchy era. Two cabinet ministers resigned late on Monday, citing “moral grounds.”

Witnesses said protesters torched tyres, hurled stones, and set fire to the homes of several politicians.

Local media reported that military helicopters evacuated ministers from besieged houses. Crowds also ransacked the prime minister’s residence and set alight the Singha Durbar government complex, which includes parliament and key ministries.

Footage circulating on social media showed former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, along with Foreign Minister Arzu Rana and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, being attacked by demonstrators before soldiers intervened.

The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, said he was “appalled” by the violence and called for talks.

Those appeals did not seem to be heeded.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the headquarters of a major publisher – the Kantipur Media Group – was burning, and called on “protesters not to target journalists”.

Kathmandu’s airport remains open, but some flights were cancelled after smoke from fires affected visibility, airport spokesperson Rinji Sherpa said.

Videos show Nepal’s parliament on fire as protests continue, with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and other top ministers resigning over mass anti-corruption unrest that left at least 19 people dead.