Curfew is lifted and calm returns to Nepal in wake of mass protests that killed at least 51 people

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KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepalese authorities lifted the curfew in the country’s capital and surrounding areas on Saturday as calm returned following the appointment of the Himalayan nation’s first woman prime minister in the wake of protests this week that killed at least 51 people and collapsed the government.

In the capital, Kathmandu, and neighboring Lalitpur and Bhaktapur areas, officials told people they could move around freely while markets reopened and traffic returned on the streets.

The massive demonstrations began on Monday over a social media ban and quickly turned violent, with protesters attacking government buildings and police opening fire.

Though the ban was rescinded, unrest continued over broader grievances. Tens of thousands of protesters attacked and burned the parliament, the presidential residence and businesses.

On Friday, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki was named interim prime minister by President Ram Chandra Poudel, who also dissolved parliament and set elections for March 5. The most recent legislative elections were held in Nepal in 2022.

Karki, 73, was sworn later on Friday. She was a popular figure while serving as the court’s only female chief justice in 2016 and 2017, and was known for her stand against corruption in the government.

On her first day at the job, Karki visited injured protesters at the Civil Hospital in Kathmandu, pledging to work for the best of the country.

“I will work with everything I have,” she told an injured protester recovering from gunshot wounds. She did not speak to reporters outside the hospital.

Karki takes over from Khadga Prasad Oli, who resigned on Tuesday and fled his official residence. The army took control of the streets that night and negotiations between protesters, the army and the president began over an interim government.

Many of the dead were protesters killed by police fire and some were inmates trying to break out of prisons across the country. Three police officers also were among the dead, police said.

The curfew, which had been in place since late Tuesday, allowed residents a few hours per day to leave their homes to buy food and supplies.

The demonstrations, called the protest of Gen Z, were sparked by the short-lived ban on platforms that included Facebook, X and YouTube, which the government said had failed to register and submit to oversight.

Many young people were also angry about what they call “nepo kids” of political leaders who enjoy luxurious lifestyles while most youth struggle to find work.