The death toll from violent protests in Nepal has climbed to 31, local media reported Thursday, as discussions intensify to establish an interim government following the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The unrest, led largely by youth under the banner of “Generation Z,” has plunged the Himalayan nation into political and security turmoil.
According to the Forensic Medicine Department at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, preliminary identities of 25 victims have been confirmed, while the identities of six others, including one woman, remain unknown. Meanwhile, violence spread into prisons as soldiers opened fire in Ramechhap district to stop a breakout attempt, killing at least two inmates and injuring more than a dozen. Police confirmed that no prisoners escaped, though Nepal has witnessed mass jailbreaks during the unrest, with some 15,000 inmates managing to flee in recent days.
The Nepalese army has now assumed command of security across the country. Political parties and civil society are debating candidates for an interim government until new elections are held. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki emerged as a leading candidate in an online poll organized by protesting youth, while another faction has put forward Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah as a possible interim leader.
