Bangladesh PM Resigns, Flees Nation Amid Protests

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday, ending 15 years in power as thousands of protesters defied a military curfew and stormed her official residence. Shortly after local media showed the embattled leader boarding a military helicopter with her sister, Bangladesh's military chief, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, announced plans to seek the president's guidance on forming an interim government, per the AP. He promised that the military would stand down, and to launch an investigation into the deadly crackdowns that fueled outrage against the government, asking citizens for time to restore peace. "Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible," he said. "I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing." "Now, the students' duty is to stay calm and help us," he added.

The protests began peacefully as frustrated students demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs, but the demonstrations have since morphed into an unprecedented challenge and uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. The government attempted to quell the violence with force, leaving nearly 300 people dead and fueling further outrage and calls for Hasina to step down. At least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in clashes in the capital on Sunday, according to the country's leading Bengali-language daily newspaper, Prothom Alo. Hundreds more were injured. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. The unrest has also resulted in the closure of schools and universities, and authorities at one point imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.

Hasina, 76, was elected for a fourth consecutive term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main opponents, triggering questions over how free and fair the vote was. She was the longest-serving leader in the history of Bangladesh. Her political opponents have previously accused her of growing increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to the country's democracy, and many now say the unrest is a result of her authoritarian streak and hunger for control. More here.

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