Bangladesh Protests: Prime Minister Hasina Resigns
Hasina, accompanied by her sister, escaped by helicopter to India
Bangladesh Chief Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday, August 5, after tens of thousands of protesters stormed her residence in the capital Dhaka. This was announced in a televised address by the Chief of Army Staff, General Waker Uz Zaman, who has pledged to form an interim government for the Asian country.
Demonstrations against Sheikh Hasina and her government have been going on for over a month and have claimed the lives of over 300 people. According to local media, Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, left the country with her sister by helicopter and headed toward neighboring India.
The flight of the prime minister, accused of ruling in an increasingly authoritarian manner during her 15 years in office, has not brought peace to Bangladesh, where the army, a tool in the hands of the government that ordered the crackdown, will now play the decisive role. In Bangladesh’s recent history, the armed forces have been active in organizing coups d’état and, together with the police, constitute the most powerful force in the country. However, there is hope for a peaceful transfer of power after Uz Zaman emphasized in a televised speech that the army “will always be there for the population.”
