Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned today following weeks of bloody protests repressed by her government, in power since 2009, fleeing by helicopter to India, after thousands of protesters stormed her official residence in the capital Dhaka. Meanwhile, the army has taken power, announcing the formation of an interim military government, already contested by protesters.
What happened in Bangladesh?
The protests began last month when the Dhaka High Court reintroduced a controversial quota system in civil service hiring that favored the children of veterans of the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Thousands took to the streets to protest the decision, which in a country with sky-high youth unemployment further limited access to public sector jobs, which are sought after by the most educated, not on merit but as a sort of birthright.
Sheikh Hasina’s government responded by closing universities and deploying the police and army to suppress protests, even imposing a nationwide curfew to cut off phone and internet access and signals. Nearly 300 people were killed in clashes between police and protesters, and thousands were arrested.
The situation seemed to have calmed down after July 21, when Bangladesh’s top court ruled that the quota for civil service jobs reserved for certain categories should be reduced from 30% to 5%, with only 3% for the children of war veterans.
However, the protests did not stop, enriched by new demands, including an investigation to ascertain the responsibilities for the violence during the repression of the demonstrations and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had instead promised “a tough response”, defining the demonstrators as “criminals and saboteurs”.
The situation has worsened in the last few hours. “This student-citizen revolt will continue until the fall of Sheikh Hasina,” he had announced protest coordinator Asif Mahmud posted on social media last night. “Tomorrow is the day of the ‘March to Dhaka’. Go to Dhaka now to witness history. Join the final struggle.”
In response, the government announced a nationwide curfew, and army tanks and armored police vehicles were deployed across the capital along with hundreds of foot patrols, effectively blocking almost all civilian traffic apart from a few motorcycles and three-wheeled taxis.
This massive deployment of security forces, according to the local newspaper Prothom Alohowever, did not prevent thousands of people from storming the official residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka after the Awami League leader fled by helicopter and landed shortly after in the city of Agartala, in north-eastern India, where the government of New Delhi of Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears willing to offer her safe passage.
An escape that did not calm the spirits. “It killed our country, killed our economy and killed our people,” commented Akter in an interview with the broadcaster Al Jazeera the president of the Federation of Sommilito garment workers, Nazma Akter, one of the most important in the main sector of the national private economy, who called the epilogue of the political story of the prime minister “shameful”. “She does not love the country, she took advantage and abused her power, and this is truly unpleasant”.
Who is Sheikh Hasina?
Once considered an “icon of democracy” in Bangladesh for her fight against the military regime of dictator Hossain Mohammad Ershad, the Awami League party leader has in recent years been accused of taking on an increasingly “authoritarian” attitude, violating human rights and freedom of expression and repressing opposition.
In power since 2009, the 76-year-old won her latest term, her fourth consecutive, only in January this year in a highly contested election given the boycott of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and low voter turnout.
Born in 1947 in southwestern Bangladesh, then known as “East Pakistan,” Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of the country’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh’s independence from Islamabad in 1971.
Ten years later, the Awami League leader joined forces with her main political opponent, BNP chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, to lead a popular uprising that overthrew the military dictatorship in 1990.
Having first become prime minister in 1996, five years later she lost the elections to Khaleda Zia. Both ended up in prison on corruption charges in 2007, following a military-backed coup. The following year, however, she was released, won the elections with a huge majority and has remained in power ever since. Until today.
What will happen now in Bangladesh?
The prime minister’s flight has again given way to the military, which has announced the formation of an interim government. In an address to the nation this morning, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army chief of staff, confirmed Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and urged citizens “to have faith in the army” which, he said, “will bring peace” to the country.
“We will ensure that justice is done for every death and crime that occurred during the protests,” the general said, calling on the public to show patience and to cease all acts of violence and vandalism, while already announcing a series of consultations.
“We invited representatives of all major political parties, who accepted our invitation and pledged to cooperate with us,” added Waker-Uz-Zaman. “We will find a solution to the crisis by tonight.” In fact, according to the military, there will be no need for a new curfew or to declare a state of emergency in the country. But this development did not please the square.
“Military rule is not a solution at this time,” reads a statement released on social media by the group “Students Against Discrimination,” which has led the anti-government protests in Bangladesh so far. Instead, those who “brought the revolution,” the statement continues, will decide who will govern the country.
“We believe that military rule is not a solution at this time. The students and the public, who carried out this revolution and achieved victory, will decide who will take power in the country,” the statement read. “We have driven out fascism and will not allow fascism to take root in Bangladesh in the future. We are committed to eradicating any fascist system.”
“Therefore, military rule is not a solution at this time,” he concludes. “Students and the public will decide who will be appointed to the interim government. The student coordinators of the movement will provide further details on this issue.”
A protest apparently foreseen by the military. So much so that in his speech General Waker-Uz-Zaman had immediately invited the protesters to give the army “some time”, promising them that the armed forces would find a solution to the current crisis, urging everyone to “keep calm and go home”.
Meanwhile, after granting safe passage to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared a state of “maximum alert” along the border with Bangladesh.
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