https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09/09/world/nepal-protests
Protesters set fire to government buildings, police stations and the houses of politicians in Nepal’s capital as unrest continued for a second day on Tuesday, even after the country’s leader resigned and social media restrictions were reversed….
Social media is a critical tool in Nepal, where many citizens work abroad and send money back home. Last week, the authorities banned 26 services, including WeChat, YouTube and LinkedIn, which it said had failed to register with the government. By Tuesday morning, they were all back online….
Protesters say the social-media ban was only the final trigger for an explosion of long-brewing anger over perceptions that the political class is corrupt and has mismanaged the economy. Large numbers of people migrate from Nepal to find work overseas due to a lack of opportunities at home….
The country of 30 million people relies heavily on the remittances that an estimated 2 million workers abroad send home. In 2024, the $11 billion they sent accounted for more than 26 percent of Nepal’s economy. That money buys food and medicine and sends children to school.
The social media ban, which went into effect last Thursday after the authorities said Facebook, YouTube and other platforms had failed to register with the government, had the effect of isolating families from their faraway breadwinners. The government repealed the ban on Tuesday after protests, though the unrest continued…. [end quote]
The government didn’t shut down the money transfer companies but it did shut down the social media which enables communication internationally.
Gen Z protesters are armed and exploded violently. It’s impossible to say at this point what kind of government will emerge but it’s not likely to improve the local economy anytime soon.
Wendy