Summary
This document has some recent news and information about Bangladesh. More will be added as it becomes available. The featured photo is of Lalbagh Fort — a fort in the old city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its name is derived from its neighborhood Lalbagh, which means Red Garden.
On 7 Aug 2024, it was reported that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was selected to lead an interim government. The 84-year-old was appointed a day after Ms Sheikh Hasina fled the country following weeks of deadly protests that brought her resignation.
News
Al Jazeera (9 Oct 2024)
“Northern Bangladesh floods: At least 8 killed and thousands left stranded” — Heavy rains have triggered flash floods and landslides in northern Bangladesh. At least eight people have been killed so far, but that number is likely to rise. Thousands are taking refuge in government-run shelters as rescue operations continue. Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury reports from Sherpur in northern Bangladesh. [Source]
BBC (28 Aug 2024)
“Bangladesh investigates hundreds who disappeared” — What happened to hundreds of people who apparently disappeared in Bangladesh during the rule of the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina? Human Rights Watch claim that security forces were behind more than six hundred disappearances during her fifteen year rule. Many of them being political rivals, Sheikh Hasina’s government consistently denied any involvement. But now, the new interim government in Bangladesh has opened an investigation. [Source]
DW News (26 Aug 2024 at ~2200)
“How is the new interim government dealing with the devastating floods in Bangladesh?” — Bangladesh continues to battle devastating floods caused by heavy monsoon rains. Officials say the death toll has now risen to 23, with millions of people stranded and in need of food, clean water and medicine. [Source]
DW News (19 Aug 2024 at ~0600)
“Bangladesh students patrol Dhaka after police flee” — After student protests in Bangladesh brought down the government, many police officers abandoned their posts, fearing reprisals from the movement they attempted to quash. Now students are trying to fill their role, patrolling the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, to avert a crisis of law and order. [Source]
DW News (13 Aug 2024 at ~1230)
“Student protesters in Bangladesh are trying to make their mark on the interim government” — Bangladeshi students, whose protests led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, are switching the focus of their activism. Having achieved change at the top of the political hierarchy, students in the capital Dhaka are now pushing the interim government to deliver generational change to a system that, they say, remains deeply corrupt. [Source]
DW News (12 Aug 2024 at ~0800)
“India arrests tens of Bangladeshis as new govt says it is ‘deeply concerned’ about attacks” — Political upheaval in Bangladesh has created new problems for neighboring India. On Monday, Indian border officials said they’d arrested dozens of Bangladeshis trying to enter the country to escape the unrest. Ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India herself, having been a strong ally to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. His government must now decide how to approach relations with Bangladesh’s new interim government. Also, the new interim government says it is ‘gravely concerned’ about reported attacks on Hindu and other religious minorities. Religious rights groups say they have recorded over 200 such incidents since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The new cabinet said it would immediately engage with communities and their representitives to find a solution. Hindus are the largest minority faith in the country, which is predominantly Muslim, and many of them are supporters of Sheikh Hasina’s party. [Source]
DW News (10 Aug 2024 at 0530)
“Top officials in Bangladesh to step down amid government upheaval” — The chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has reportedly agreed to resign following an ultimatum from protesters. The central bank governor is also said to be stepping down. An interim government has been sworn in and its head, Muhammad Yunus, says his top priority is to restore law and order. He’s called for religious unity in the country with his new temporary administration facing numerous challenges ahead, including preparing for elections following weeks of deadly violence and unrest. [Source]
DW News (9 Aug 2024 at ~1600)
“New Bangladesh leader vows to call elections within months” — Bangladesh’s new interim leader Muhammad Yunus says he wants to call elections within a few months. His caretaker government is trying to restore order and democracy following weeks of violent protests. The new adminstration includes students who played a key role in ousting the previous prime minister. [Source]
DW News (9 Aug 2024 at ~1200)
“Bangladesh interim government: Military, students and nobel prize winner Muhammed Yunus” — Muhammad Yunus joined student leaders and government members laying wreaths at the National Martyrs’ Memorial — a day after being sworn in. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, after weeks of deadly demonstrations. Now Yunus heads a caretaker government that includes student protest leaders and the military. The main challenge: How can the new government restore law and order? [Source]
Guardian (8 Aug 2024 at ~1500)
“Bangladesh: how the ‘gen Z revolution’ forced the prime minister to flee” — After 15 years in power, Bangladesh’s prime minister suddenly resigned and fled the country. Sheikh Hasina’s departure came after weeks of student-led protests that were met with deadly force and was greeted with jubilation on the streets of the capital, Dhaka. Over the past month, footage on the ground has shown protesters being beaten and killed, as well as thousands of people storming the prime minister’s residence. The Guardian’s global development reporter, Kaamil Ahmed, explains why students across the country took to the streets and how they escalated into a mass movement that forced Sheikh Hasina to flee the country on a helicopter with no plan to return. [Source]
CBC News (8 Aug 2024 at ~1200)
“How students brought down the Bangladesh government” — After a month of violent unrest, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Andrew Chang explains how student-led protests over a government job quota turned into a massive and deadly movement that eventually toppled the government. [Source]
DW News (8 Aug 2024 at 0852)
“Muhammad Yunus welcomes a ‘second independence’ for Bangladesh” — Bangladesh’s new care-taker leader, Muhammad Yunus, has praised the students who overthrew the country’s authoritarian government. Arriving home at Dhaka airport, he said they’d saved Bangladesh – and given the nation a second independence. But he warned this new-found freedom needed to be protected. The Nobel Peace Prize winner spent the last few days in France for medical treatment. He – and his cabinet – will be sworn in in the coming hours. We speak to student activist Prapti Taposhi, and journalist Mainul Islam Khan. [Source]
Al Jazeera (8 Aug 2024 at 0250)
“Big challenges ahead for Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s new interim leader” — The man appointed to form an interim government in Bangladesh, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, is expected to be sworn in on Thursday. Families of those who lost loved ones in the mass protests that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are renewing their calls for justice. More than 300 people were killed during the police crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. [Source]
BBC (7 Aug 2024)
“Nobel Peace Prize winner to lead Bangladesh interim government” — Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – a longtime political foe of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina – has been named the country’s interim leader. The 84-year-old was appointed a day after Ms Hasina fled the country following weeks of deadly protests that brought her resignation. Students who led the mass protests that unseated Ms Hasina refused to accept a military-led government and pushed for Prof Yunus to lead the interim administration. [Source]
DW News (7 Aug 2024)
“Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s new interim leader, appeals for calm ahead of swearing in” — Bangladesh’s soon to be new leader is returning home. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus boarded a plane in Paris, saying he’s ready to help Bangladesh address its problems. [Source]
DW News (7 Aug 2024)
“Muhammad Yunus to lead Bangladesh govt as India evacuates families from the country” — The economist and civil society leader Muhammad Yunus has been named as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. Yunus is reportedly travelling from Paris to Dhaka, where he’ll become chief advisor to a non-partisan government, according to the office of the president. The former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday and fled the country, following weeks of violent protests against her government. India has reportedly evacuated all non-essential staff and their families from its diplomatic missions in neighboring Bangladesh. That’s after the weeks of unrest that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee. Reuters quoted two Indian government sources saying that all Indian diplomats remain in Bangladesh. [Source]
DW News (7 Aug 2024)
“Upheaval in Bangladesh: New leadership, same old problems?” — A political upheaval is unfolding fast in Bangladesh, as mass protests reach a dramatic crescendo. The prime minister has fled, parliament has been dissolved, and the military has taken control. But are new battles now brewing, over the make-up of the interim government, and finding accountability for the hundreds who died in the unrest? [Source]
DW News (7 Aug 2024)
“What role will students and their demands play in the future?” — Muhammad Yunus, the designated head of Bangladesh’s new caretaker government, has left France for Bangladesh. He’s expected to arrive on Thursday. The Nobel Prize winner said he looks forward to helping Bangladesh get out of trouble. He also urged people to use this opportunity to shape a better country. [Source]
TRT World (7 Aug 2024)
“Is this a second revolution for Bangladesh?” — With scenes echoing those of 1971, Bangladesh’s prime minister has fled the country, paving the way for a Nobel laureate to lead an interim government. As the nation waits for an upcoming election, the focus shifts to whether the new leadership and the military can maintain peace in the coming weeks. [Source]
Al Jazeera (6 Aug 2024)
“What’s next for Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation?” — After 20 years in power, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled Bangladesh amid widespread protests. Her government’s violent crackdown on dissent killed several hundred people and fuelled public anger. What began as student demonstrations against job quotas quickly escalated, leading to the dissolution of parliament and the release of opposition leaders. The military has stepped in, saying it will set up an interim government. But protesters are warning they don’t want it to rule. As Bangladesh enters uncharted territory, many are asking who will lead the nation now? And how can stability be restored without compromising demands for greater democracy? [Source]
DW News (6 Aug 2024)
“Two competing visions for the future of Bangladesh” — Police in Bangladesh say they have gone on strike, as the country grapples with its biggest political crisis in years. The Bangladesh police association has apologized in a statement for what they called the violent attacks on innocent students during mass protests. They say they were forced to open fire. This comes after parliament was dissolved following the ouster of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Students who led the uprising say they will not accept an army-led government. [Source]
France 24 News (6 Aug 2024)
“Yunus emboldens Bangladesh’s youth to ‘provide leadership, creating a new world for the whole world'” — Bangladesh’s army chief will meet student protest leaders on Tuesday as the country awaits the formation of a new government a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled following a violent uprising against her. FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen is joined by Economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. A key organizer of Bangladesh’s student protests said Yunus was their choice as head of an interim government. [Source]
TRT (17 Jul 2024)
“Can Sheikh Hasina maintain her grip on the country?” — Student protests over government job quotas have left dozens dead. The Supreme Court has granted the students demands but now many are in hospital and thousands have been arrested. As a two-day truce comes to an end what next for Bangladesh. [Source]
Bloomberg (17 Jul 2024)
“How Bangladesh’s ‘Banker to the Poor’ Became a Political Target” — Muhammad Yunus is a Nobel laureate, the father of microfinance and a friend to the world’s most powerful and famous. Now, he faces a potential life sentence in a Bangladesh prison. Bloomberg Originals explains why. As of August 6, 2024, Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus has been appointed the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, a key step toward restoring order after weeks of protests drove former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the country. [Source]
Context
DW News (17 Apr 2018)
“Bangladesh – Dawn of Islamism” — In Bangladesh headlines are dominated by violence: Secular bloggers murdered by islamic extremists, government opponents disappear, the Hindu minority is under attack. The country that wants to reconcile democracy and Islam appears to be finding it harder and harder to strike a balance between the two. Bangladesh was born in blood. The Bangladeshi government claims some three million people were killed during the 1971 war of liberation, though independent figures vary greatly. While Pakistan has remained an Islamic republic, Bangladesh made secularism a founding principle in the republic’s constitution. But conflict between Islamist and secular forces has plagued the country since its formation – and has a major impact on how it is perceived abroad. Annual economic growth has been at well over five percent for a decade; inward investment is flowing. Bangladesh is one of the world’s leading producers of garments and textiles. The government in Dhaka is keen to attract foreign cash. That fixation with inward investment also helps explain the refusal on the part of the political elite to recognize the growth of violent Islamism in the country. In 2016, Bangladesh experienced its worst terrorist attack to date. In Dhaka in the heart of the capital’s diplomatic quarter, terrorists murdered 20 people they’d taken hostage in a popular café, among them 18 foreigners. So-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in Dhaka, but the Bangladeshi government continues to deny that there are IS or Al-Qaeda cells in the country. The political landscape of the country is currently shaped by the personal animosity between the two most powerful women in Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina, who heads the Awami League, and Khaleda Zia from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. When one of them holds the reins of power, the other regularly does all she can to bring government grinding to a halt by having the opposition dig in its heels. In a further twist to this tale Khaleda Zia was sentenced to five years in jail early February 2018, charged with misusing charitable funds. Khaleda Zia is also currently barred from taking part in parliamentary polls. The daughter of the country’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina has led the Bangladeshi government since 2009. She views herself as a mediator between secular and Islamist forces. But the brutal murder of bloggers critical of religion and the continuing restriction of democratic freedoms show how this balancing act is teetering – and could soon tip into disaster. [Source]