BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli of Nepal has resigned amid deadly protests over a social media ban.
Mr Oli’s resignation came less than 24 hours after Nepalese forces opened fire on protesting youths on Monday, leaving at least 17 people dead and more than 100 others injured.
Demonstrators began on Monday following the government’s decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, after they missed a September 3 deadline to register in the country.
However, violence escalated on the second day of the protest on Tuesday, triggered by the killing of demonstrators, as angry youths stormed the country’s capital city of Kathmandu, setting fire to government buildings.
Protesters torched Mr Oli’s home including some political leaders in the country.
To rescue the situation, Mr Oli rescinded the ban on social media early on Tuesday and also imposed an indefinite curfew on Kathmandu and other cities in the country.
However, the anger against his government showed no sign of abating, as further protests began.
Mr Oli’s last-gasp failed attempt to calm the protesters led to the mass resignation of several lawmakers before the politician eventually bowed to pressure, with his aide Prakash Silwal saying the PM had quit, Reuters reported.
