In a weeklong blaze of fury that left at least 72 dead, young protesters calling themselves "Gen Z" torched Nepal's parliament building, the Supreme Court, international business headquarters, and the homes of politicians across the Himalayan nation. The violent uprising, which began Sept. 8, saw demonstrators clash with security forces who responded with live ammunition, killing at least 19 people in the capital city of Kathmandu alone. By Sept. 15, the dead were being honored as "Gen Z martyrs" in a revolution that toppled the government and installed the country's first female prime minister.
Despite its generational moniker, the "Gen Z" movement encompasses protesters across age groups, led in part by 36-year-old millennial Sudan Gurung, a philanthropist who heads the non-governmental organization Hami Nepal. The protesters organized in part through a Discord chat managed by Gurung's organization, which used Instagram and YouTube to coordinate demonstration routes and safety strategies, including advising protesters to wear school uniforms to appear more sympathetic.
The immediate catalyst to the protests was Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's ban on 26 social media and messaging platforms, including Instagram and X, for allegedly failing to comply with government regulations. The timing of the social media ban proved particularly inflammatory; nearly half of Nepal's population uses social media, and the ban cut off expatriate workers, whose remittances constitute a third of the country's gross domestic product, from their families during a major festival.
But beneath the digital grievances lay deeper frustrations with wealth inequality and corruption. Social media platforms had been flooded with videos contrasting the opulent lifestyles of politicians' children — designer handbags, luxury holidays, lavish parties — with the hardships of ordinary Nepalis. In a country where over 80% work in the informal sector and youth unemployment in the formal sector reaches 20.8%, such displays of unearned wealth proved incendiary.
The protesters' fury manifested in unprecedented destruction across Nepal's urban centers. Beyond the parliament and Supreme Court buildings, demonstrators burned the Hilton hotel, described by some business groups as a "barbaric act of arson" that would discourage tourism. Politicians were chased down and beaten by mobs, while their homes were set ablaze in cities across the country. The violence was so swift and comprehensive that some Nepalis speculated protesters must have received foreign assistance, though no evidence supports such claims.
The government's response was equally severe. Security forces fired live rounds into crowds of demonstrators, with most of the 72 deaths occurring among protesters rather than security personnel. The death toll and property damage represented one of the most destructive political upheavals in Nepal's recent history.
Nepal's upheaval fits a broader pattern of youth-driven political change across South Asia. It marks the third violent government overthrow in the region within four years, following mass protests that toppled Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa dynasty in 2022 and ended Sheikh Hasina's rule in Bangladesh in 2024. Political scientist Sucheta Pyakurel characterized the Nepali uprising as a "revolution of mass frustration" driven by lack of opportunities and cronyism.
The timing concerns Nepal's major geopolitical partners. Wedged between India and China, with the United States as its "third neighbor," Nepal has long pursued a nonaligned foreign policy of "friendship with all and enmity with none.” Between 2015 and the recent unrest, the country cycled through eight governments led by the same three figures, creating chronic instability that worries regional powers invested in Nepal's strategic position.
As Nepal enters a new political chapter, it remains unclear whether the nation’s political landscape will stabilize or repeat its cycle of unrest. For many, the uprising was a cry for accountability, but whether this moment sparks lasting reform or deepens instability is a question only time will answer.
Photo Courtesy of Sanjay Hona on Unsplash