Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned after at least 19 people were killed in clashes between the country’s security forces and anti-corruption protesters.
In a statement, Mr Oli said he was standing down in light of the crisis engulfing Kathmandu, where anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police on Monday during violent protests triggered by a social media ban.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Oli withdrew the social media ban and called an all-party meeting, saying “we have to resort to peaceful dialogue to find solutions to any problem”.
But anger against the government showed no signs of abating, as protesters stormed the parliament complex in the capital and set fire to senior politicians’ residences, with videos from Kathmandu showing huge plumes of dark smoke billowing out of some of its most recognisable landmarks.
One eye-witness told The Independent he saw protesters setting fire to the homes of politicians, and that ministers were being taken to safety by military helicopters.
Mr Oli’s private home in Balkot, Bhaktapur, to the east of Kathmandu, was also set ablaze as the anti-government protests spread beyond the city centre.
Authorities said demonstrators marched to Mr Oli’s compound at dawn and attempted to break through security barriers. Police tried to hold them back, but protesters refused to disperse and eventually set fire to the property, reported the Kathmandu Post. The residence contains two houses, both of which were engulfed in flames during the attack.
Protesters also set fire to tyres on some roads, threw stones at police personnel in riot gear, and chased them through narrow streets.
Hundreds of people from towns located near the India-Nepal border had started marching towards Kathmandu to support the protesters, one demonstrator told Reuters.
Smoke from the protests was seen drifting across the runway at Tribhuvan International airport, the capital’s main airport, which is located close to the city centre.
