Deadly protests in Bangladesh have forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country, Reuters reported Monday.
After weeks of violent demonstrations, Hasina reportedly decided to resign in order to quell further unrest, according to Reuters.
As the South Asian nation decides who will control the country, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman called for calm and said that an interim government has taken control and will run Bangladeshi affairs, Reuters reported.
Although a curfew was issued after violence Sunday night claimed close to 100 lives, huge crowds ignored it and reportedly stormed Hasina’s palace in the capital, Dhaka, preventing her from giving a speech. They forced her to escape by military helicopter to India, according to the outlet.
Hasina, who ruled the country for nearly two decades, was seen as responsible for authorities’ attempts to crush weeks of protest that resulted in the deaths of 300 people, Reuters reported.
Protesters began to celebrate after news of Hasina’s departure spread, according to Reuters.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent, Tanvir Chowdhury, said he had “never witnessed something like this” in Dhaka and that the celebrations included “not just students” but “people from all walks of life.”
“They said this had to happen, there was nothing we could say, democracy was squeezed and now we are free,” Chowdhury added.
Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman specifically attempted to calm fears that Bangladesh would return to the military-style type government that ruled the country in the 1970s and 1980s after its independence from Pakistan in 1971, according to Reuters.
“We will also ensure that justice is served for every death and crime that occurred during the protests,” the general said as he urged the public to be patient and refrain violence and vandalism.
Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur, told Al-Jazeera that the military faces a “very tough job ahead,” adding, “We are all hoping that the transition would be peaceful and that there will be accountability for all the human rights violations that have taken place.”
#BreakingNews | Bangladesh Army to form interim government, Army Chief after Hasina flees the nation
“Army will take over” Bangladesh HM @asaduzzaman_mp confirms #SheikhHasina #BangladeshBleeding #BangladeshProtest | Avantika Singh @siddhantvm @KamalikaSengupt pic.twitter.com/pW6LVk4ZuN
— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 5, 2024
