Thousands of anti-government protesters stormed the Prime Minister’s palace in Dhaka on Monday, in an unprecedented climate of insurrection in the country.
After the bloody riots, a change at the head of state. The head of the Bangladesh army announced the formation of an interim government on Monday, August 5, after the resignation of the Prime Minister. Sheikh Hasina’s departure follows a month of demonstrations and violence, which have left at least 300 dead in one month, according to an AFP count based on data from the police, officials and doctors in hospitals.
Franceinfo takes stock of the situation in Bangladesh, a South Asian country in the grip of an unprecedented protest movement.
Student movement at the origin of a major political crisis
The protests in Bangladesh, initially peaceful, began in early July, led by students and young graduates protesting against quotas for government jobs. The system reserves 30% of these jobs for the children of “freedom fighters”having participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971. A roundabout way of awarding public jobs to loyalists of the Awami League, the ruling party, according to the protesters.
Partially abolished in 2018, this system was restored in June by the courts. While 18 million young people are unemployed in Bangladesh, according to government figures, this decision has sparked a powder keg. Faced with a major student mobilization, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh finally decided on July 21 to temporarily suspend most of the quotas. Insufficient for the students, who are calling for a total repeal of the text.
“For some, the civil service represents an El Dorado, guaranteeing a job for life and offering the possibility of exile,” explained political scientist and Bangladesh specialist Jérémie Codron at the end of July, interviewed by France Culture. This is how “the whole political system based on nepotism and corruption is being called into question” by these demonstrations, according to the expert.
The social crisis gradually turned into a political crisis from July 16, when the repression caused its first deaths. The demonstrators then demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76 years old, and new elections. “The party [de la cheffe du gouvernement] is in his fourth five-year term, he has been in power continuously since 2008, following elections that are considered not to have been free elections,” Philippe Benoît, researcher at theNational Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco).
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In the past three weeks, there has also been a surge in the burning of government buildings and police stations by protesters. The headquarters of state-owned Bangladesh Television (BTV) has also been targeted, and arson attacks have rendered Dhaka’s metropolitan railway network inoperable, Bangladesh’s interior minister said on July 21. On Sunday, August 4, the prime minister accused protesters of being unlawful. “Not students, but terrorists seeking to destabilize the nation”reports the BBC.
Curfew imposed and internet access cut off
In an effort to restore order, the government has restricted internet browsing since mid-July. Access to the web was thus cut off across the board on Monday, August 5, according to providers and monitoring organizations. A manager at a company specializing in selling bandwidth to access providers explained that “Both broadband and mobile internet have been cut off.” For his part, NetBlocks, a network monitoring organization, reported a “high impact on mobile networks”.
To quell the protest, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education also announced on July 16, “the closure until further notice of all high schools, colleges, Islamic seminaries and polytechnic institutes.” Officially, the decision has been made “to take into account the safety of students.” The measure was later extended to universities, at the heart of the protest movement.
On the 19th day of the protests, Friday July 19, a curfew was also imposed in Bangladesh. It was still in effect on Monday August 5.
At least 300 people killed in one month
Faced with the protests, the army was deployed to maintain order on Friday, July 19. But thousands of demonstrators took to the streets again the next day. The repression, which had already left several dozen dead, intensified further and the police fired live ammunition at the activists.
On Sunday, August 4, new clashes between opponents of the Prime Minister, security forces and supporters of the ruling party left 94 dead throughout the country. This is the heaviest toll in a single day since the start of the anti-government protests. Among the dead are at least 14 police officers, according to the spokesman for the security forces. The rival camps clashed with batons and knives, and the security forces fired live ammunition. In total, At least 300 people have been killed since the start of the protests, according to an AFP report based on data from police, officials and hospital sources.
In mid-July, Amnesty International denounced the use “illegal” force by Bangladeshi authorities “against students who are demonstrating.” The UN also condemned “Shocking violence in Bangladesh”Sunday August 4. “The government must stop targeting those peacefully participating in the protest movement, immediately release those arbitrarily detained, restore full access to the internet and create the conditions for constructive dialogue.”said Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement released in the evening.
As early as mid-July, Volker Türk had said to himself:“very concerned” by reports that Bangladeshi authorities were deploying paramilitary units such as the Border Guard and the Rapid Action Battalion“who have a long history of violations” human rights. The UN had therefore asked Dhaka, on July 25, to “disclose urgently all the details of the repression of the demonstrations”calling for a “impartial, independent and transparent investigation” on alleged human rights violations.
Forced to resign, Prime Minister flees
The protest movement reached a new level on Monday, August 5, when thousands of anti-government demonstrators stormed the Prime Minister’s palace, according to images broadcast on Bangladeshi television. The protesters had been called to march en masse on the capital, Dhaka. “The time has come for the final manifestation”, Asif Mahmud, one of the leaders of the collective, had thus affirmed: “Students Against Discrimination”, student movement at the origin of the protest.
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The day before, he had already called for civil disobedience: no longer paying taxes or bills related to public services, or, for civil servants, not going to work. He had also asked workers in garment factories, an important sector of national industry, to go on strike.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son urged security forces on Monday to prevent any takeover of the country of 170 million people. But the head of government was forced to leave her Dhaka residence for a “safe place”by helicopter, a source close to the leader told AFP. This information has not been confirmed by an official source.
The army chief, however, announced in a televised address to the nation at midday that Sheikh Hasina had resigned. “The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed. It is time to end the violence”said General Waker-Uz-Zaman, adding that he would form an interim government. “If the situation improves, there is no need to resort to a state of emergency”he assured.