At least 27 killed in Bangladesh clashes, government declares curfew
NBCAUG 14 2024
Following weeks of protest in which over 300 died, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country, the country's Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed on Monday.
Waker-Uz-Zaman told the media that he would form an interim government to run the country, adding that he had taken "all responsibility and promise to protect your life and property."
Hasina reportedly left the country on a military helicopter after protestors ignored a national curfew and stormed her official residence in Dhaka. Unconfirmed reports suggest she briefly landed in India and is headed to London.
This is a sad end to Hasina's 15-year grip on power. She led the country through economic growth, so much so that in 2021, Bangladesh's per capita income surpassed India's. Yet her failure to address dissent effectively cost her her long rule.
Hasina's departure is the culmination of an increasingly autocratic rule, which included jailing and killing opposition leaders and activists. It was just a matter of time before people stood up against her repressive and corrupt acts and demanded her deposition.