Nepal in September 2025: Flames, Prison Breaks and Discord Elections.

News Section Editor, Chantelle Mackintosh, covers the Protests in Nepal against government corruption and how in a few days, changed the course of a nation.

In September 2025, thousands of Nepalese citizens took to the streets to engage in anti-corruption protests which became known as the “Gen Z protests.” These protests began after a nationwide ban on many social media sites which combined with the display of corruption and wealth by their government in their mismanagement of public funds. This furthered into rebellion against the government's lack of transparency and accountability. 

The protests started on 8 September 2025 around the federal parliament building, organised as a peaceful rally by Hami Nepal, a non-governmental organisation. While it started peacefully, things soon got out of hand after the police responded to stones being thrown with live ammunition, which led the crowd to surge in an attempt to enter the Federal Parliament building. This led to a response of tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition by security with at least nineteen people being killed and almost four-hundred people injured. 

That same evening, the government lifted the social media ban, however, the situation had spiraled out of control due to the hostile response of government officials. 

On 9 September 2025, protests set fire to many government buildings, including the Supreme Court of Nepal and the president’s residence. Politicians were evacuated to the Tribhuvan International Airport while attempting to control the escalating arson attacks. Additionally, the prison in the Kailali district was attacked and inmates were set free as the prison burned. Another prison in the Kaski prison was also burnt, setting hundreds of inmates free. Some were killed as officers tried to contain the escapees. These escapes only escalated the situation with increasingly more arson attacks taking place. By the end of this day, the majority of the Parliament had resigned, including the Prime Minister, and the Nepali Army ended the day in charge. 

The next day, 10 September 2025, the Nepali Army encouraged protesters to remain peaceful but many continued looting government buildings and homes. However, many other protests started cleaning the mess caused by the riots, bringing many together in peace. Protests, which were organised on Discord, were also used to elect an interim leader, Sushila Karki. There were between 100 000 and 145 000 Nepal citizens in the server. 

On 12 September 2025, Karki was inaugurated as interim Prime Minister, becoming the first female prime minister in the country's history. 

The protests ended on 13 September 2025. After six days, at least seventy-two people were killed, and 2,113 injured.

These protests reflect how people, particularly youths, are becoming more politically aware and standing up for their beliefs. International awareness of these incidents came through TikTok and Instagram which displayed videos of solidarity amongst protestors as buildings burned around them as well as videos of cleanup efforts. This proves that social media and Gen Z has influence on national politics. While there is still much work to do in the country, this drastic turn marks a new page in Nepal’s political history.