Nepal is witnessing its most severe unrest in decades, with Gen Z-led protests claiming 19 lives and injuring over 250 people. What began on September 4, 2025, as opposition to a ban on 26 major social media platforms quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising against corruption, unemployment, and authoritarianism.

Unlike earlier agitations, this movement is youth-driven, decentralized, and non-partisan, with students, many in school uniforms, taking the lead. Social media pages like Gen.Z Nepal mobilized thousands, reflecting deep frustration over economic stagnation, lack of jobs, and rampant corruption. With youth unemployment near 20%, mass migration, and remittances making up 22.8% of GDP, young Nepalis feel trapped in a cycle of dependence and despair.

Public anger has been fueled by high-profile scandals, from the Nepal Airlines wide-body aircraft scam to fraudulent refugee resettlement schemes implicating top politicians. Meanwhile, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s increasingly authoritarian actions, parliament dissolutions, curbs on free expression, and violent crackdowns, have only deepened resentment.

The government’s heavy-handed response, including live ammunition against protesters, intensified the crisis, despite concessions like lifting the ban and forcing the Home Minister’s resignation. But Nepal’s youth remain defiant, demanding systemic change. Unless corruption, economic inequality, and governance failures are tackled, Nepal risks further instability and democratic backsliding.