Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman called for an end to violence and pledged to meet the demands of protesters on Monday, following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure from the capital amid escalating protests.
“We will form an interim government,” Waker declared in a national broadcast on state television, assuring the protesters that their demands would be addressed. “The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed — it is time to stop the violence,” he added.
Waker, a seasoned infantry officer appointed as the chief of army staff earlier this year, expressed hope that his speech would bring calm to the tumultuous situation. “I hope after my speech, the situation will improve,” he stated.
He emphasized that if the situation stabilizes, there would be no need for emergency measures and vowed that the new authorities would “prosecute all murders” following weeks of deadly protests. “Now the task of the students is to keep calm and help us,” he urged.
Also read: Sheikh Hasina Quits As Bangladesh PM, Flees To Agartala, India Amid Unrest In The Nation
Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power since 2009, had resisted calls for her resignation despite weeks of mounting demands. She ultimately fled following a particularly violent day on Sunday, which saw nearly 100 fatalities. The protests initially erupted over the reintroduction of a quota system that reserved over half of all government jobs for specific groups, despite the scheme being scaled back by Bangladesh’s top court.
In a significant symbolic gesture, a former army chief demanded the immediate withdrawal of troops and the allowance of peaceful protests, highlighting the widespread opposition to Hasina’s government. The anti-government movement drew support from various sectors of society, including celebrities and public figures, in the South Asian nation of about 170 million people.
Reports indicate that the 76-year-old prime minister fled the country by helicopter, heading to an undisclosed location in India, after protesters stormed her palace in Dhaka. Bangladesh’s Channel 24 aired footage of jubilant crowds entering the compound and celebrating, while others vandalized statues of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s independence hero.
Hasina had secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January, in a vote criticized for lacking genuine opposition.
