Nepalese authorities have lifted a curfew in Kathmandu and surrounding areas after days of violent unrest that killed at least 51 people, forced the collapse of the previous government and brought the country its first woman interim prime minister.
On Saturday, officials told residents in the capital, along with neighboring Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, that they could move around freely again as markets reopened and traffic returned to the streets. The move followed a sharp change in the political atmosphere after former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki was named interim prime minister by President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday. She was sworn in later that day.
The curfew had been imposed late Tuesday after protests over a short-lived social media ban escalated into wider anti-corruption anger. According to the AP report, demonstrations began over restrictions on platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, but quickly grew into attacks on government buildings, the parliament and the presidential residence. The violence was severe enough to leave dozens dead, including protesters, inmates who tried to break out of prisons and three police officers.
Karki’s appointment was part of a broader reset. Poudel dissolved parliament and set elections for March 5, while the army took control of the streets and negotiations continued over an interim arrangement. Karki, 73, has a reputation for anti-corruption credibility from her time as the court’s only female chief justice in 2016 and 2017. On her first day in office she visited injured protesters at Civil Hospital and promised to work for the country’s best interests.
The unrest also exposed broader public anger. The AP report says many young people were frustrated not only by the social media ban but also by what they call the “nepo kids” of political leaders, who are seen as living lavishly while ordinary youth struggle to find work. The curfew’s lifting does not erase the damage, but it signals that the capital has, at least for now, moved from emergency control to a fragile calm.
For now, the capital’s reopening is as much a public-relations signal as a security one. People can move again, markets can trade and traffic can return, but the underlying grievances that drove the unrest have not disappeared. The AP report makes clear that the original trigger was narrow, while the anger underneath it was much broader.
That is why Karki’s early moves matter. Her appointment, the dissolution of parliament and the election date together create a framework for a transition, but not yet a resolution. Nepal has moved out of emergency mode, yet it remains in a volatile political moment.
The political reset is still fragile because the violence was not limited to one institution. The damage to parliament, the presidential residence and businesses means the new government must stabilize both order and public trust at the same time, and that is a more difficult task than simply lifting a curfew.
What happens next will hinge on whether the interim government can keep the streets calm while preparing the election timeline. Nepal has already seen how quickly a narrow policy dispute can evolve into a wider revolt, and the new leadership inherits both the public anger and the expectation that something more durable than a curfew must follow.
