Without a government, the military is taking control of Nepal’s roads and institutions. Though the airport has just reopened, the situation is far from settled, leaving foreigners stranded amid cancelled flights and general confusion.
Violence intensified through Tuesday, with demonstrators burning politicians’ houses, institutional buildings, and police stations. There are strict curfews and military controls. The “Generation Z Revolt” has turned the country’s political landscape upside down in 72 hours.
The government fell yesterday, and demonstrators pursued several politicians and set fire to their homes. Fire has destroyed parliament and other buildings, and an increasing number of voices are calling for restraint, restoration of order, and respect for public property.
Poster calling youngsters to demonstrate on September 8, shared on Instagram by Ang Tsering Sherpa.
Airport open
There is some small good news: Kathmandu’s airport has finally reopened after two days, The Himalayan Times reported. “All domestic and international flights, which had been suspended since September 9, are now cleared to operate; passengers have been advised to contact their respective airlines for updated flight schedules and to confirm ticket and baggage arrangements,” they wrote.
Messages
In the last 24 hours, both locals and the international community have turned to social media to express their opinions and feelings on the situation, as well as their hopes for a brighter future.
Message posted yesterday by the U.S. embassy on Instagram.
A call for restraint posted by Ang Tsering Sherpa.
There are also several messages pointing to the root causes of an uprising that — as we explained in an article yesterday — goes much deeper than a ban on social media.
A post shared by thousands through social media, posted by Dawa Sherpa of Rolwaling.
A message on social media, shared by Suman Gurung on Instagram.
Hundreds of people are posting photos and videos of the revolt.
Post by Sandro Gromen-Hayes on Instagram.
Fires in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Photo shared by Suman Gurung.
Advice for foreign visitors
Foreigners in Nepal’s capital or tourist towns such as Pokhara should contact their local operators for instructions and avoid getting close to demonstrations. The Army suggested that stranded foreigners seek assistance directly at security points if needed.
The situation remains quiet in mountain areas, but the lack of domestic flights to transport passengers and supplies to base camps has hit expedition operators. The flow of climbers and goods should be restored once the airport is fully operational.
Local entrepreneurs, who have chosen to remain anonymous, noted that foreigners have been free to move across the country but are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution in towns. The army is imposing a nationwide curfew from 5 pm today, local time, until 6 am tomorrow.
Domestic flights were suspended on Wednesday, and the Department of Tourism is not working, so they are not issuing climbing permits currently.
The silver lining is that everyone we have talked to in Nepal is confident the situation will improve in a few days. Teams currently in the mountains, such as Benjamin Vedrines on Jannu, the 14 Peaks Expedition on Manaslu, and Carlos Soria in the Khumbu, are reporting complete normality.
Explosions in Pokhara
Climbers close to demonstrations have described what they have witnessed.
“There were seven or eight explosions last night,” Walddemar Kowalewski of Poland told ExplorersWeb from Pokhara. Injured in an avalanche on Broad Peak this summer, he is still on crutches but is venturing out onto the streets and observing. “I heard that 800 prisoners escaped.”
“Nepal is currently closed and flights are canceled, so it’ll take a while, but then it’ll be okay,” Kowalewski continued. “Higher up in the mountains, outside of civilization, it’s easier; it resembles COVID times.”
A team from Seven Summit Treks heading for Dhaulagiri, including Jorge Egocheaga of Spain and David Klein of Hungary, had a tough time getting to Pokhara. Eventually, they managed to board a small plane to the city. The demonstrations in town shocked team member Arjun Vajpay of India. He recorded the explosions mentioned by Kowalewski in the video below. The team will head for the mountains soon.
September 8
Alex Txikon of Spain was caught in the uprising while filming a documentary in Kathmandu. “The assault was by students, most of them teenagers, some still in their school uniforms, who climbed the walls of the parliament building; the police opened fire and killed around 20 of them,” he told Turiski.
People online are hailing the students killed during the revolts on Monday as heroes. In today’s editorial, The Himalayan Times calls for a new Nepal, asks people to stop the violence, and reminds the political class to “understand, and never forget, that their power is borrowed, not owned. It comes from the people, and it can be taken away by the people.”
Instagram post by Lakpa Dendi Sherpa.
