POST-ELECTION UNREST
After disputed January 2024 elections, repression deepened: figures of opposition arrested, restrictive cyber laws, politicised courts... amid high youth unemployment. Anger over unfair civil-service quotas then sparked nationwide protests.
BUILDING A STUDENT COALITION
Student leaders Asif Mahmud and Akhtar Hossain created the Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti (Democratic Student Force) coalition, independent of political parties. They convened press conferences, organised rallies and human chains at Dhaka University, coordinated nationwide mobilisation, and documented abuses.
FROM NETWORKS TO LEVERAGES
Organisers used Facebook and campus networks, allowing student dialogues. They occupied streets, and blockaded the textile supply chain (most significant source of economic growth), raising pressure until elites split and Prime minister Sheikh Hasina flew the country by helicopter.
DRASTIC CHANGES
The army chief then announced a transitional government led by Muhammad Yunus, to ease tensions and ensure inclusion. Asif Mahmud and Akhtar Hossain were both appointed ministers within the transitional government as well as several opposition figures from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Critical assessment
Strengths
- 01 Decentralised and resilient leadership
- 02 Strong discipline and international visibility
- 03 Successfully split elites and opened space for transition
Limits
- 01 Intensification of repression radicalised protest methods, putting their legitimacy at risk
- 02 No alternative to Internet shutdowns, hampering coordination
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