KATHMANDU, Nepal. A grassroots youth movement that helped bring down Nepal’s government is now playing a pivotal role in shaping the country’s interim leadership, according to activists and community members involved in the protests.
Sudan Gurung, a 36-year-old former DJ and founder of the non-profit Hami Nepal (We are Nepal), mobilized tens of thousands of young people through Discord and Instagram to stage demonstrations that forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign. Protesters clashed with authorities in what became Nepal’s deadliest political crisis in decades, leaving at least 72 dead and over 1,300 injured. Representatives for Oli could not be reached for comment.
“I was invited to join a group on Discord where there were about 400 members. It asked us to join the protest march a few kilometres from the parliament,” 18-year-old student Karan Kulung Rai, who is not affiliated with Hami Nepal, told Reuters.
The movement, largely driven by young adults often described as a “Gen Z” protest wave, quickly gained national traction. Hami Nepal’s early social media posts were so influential that they were referenced on national television. As demonstrations intensified, the group also flagged what it called “fake news” and shared hospital contact numbers.
Following Oli’s resignation, Gurung and his team emerged as influential power brokers. Members of Hami Nepal, who used proxy names online for security, said they persuaded Nepal’s president and army chief to appoint former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the country’s first female prime minister in an interim role. Elections are scheduled for March 5.
“I will make sure that the power lies with the people and bring every corrupt politician to justice,” Gurung said during his first press conference after the protests.
On Sunday, Hami Nepal leaders met to discuss cabinet positions and proposed the removal of some officials appointed under the previous administration. “Meetings are ongoing between Karki and members of the group. We will finalise the cabinet soon,” one member said. Gurung and Karki did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In an Instagram statement, Hami Nepal said the process was being “carefully carried out, so that it consists of skilled and capable youth.”
Despite their influence, Gurung and his colleagues maintain they do not seek government positions. “We don’t want to be politicians. Sudan Gurung was only helping the ‘Gen Z’ group, and we are only the voice of the nation and not interested in taking leadership positions,” said 26-year-old volunteer Ronesh Pradhan.
Gurung, who founded Hami Nepal after leading civic relief efforts during the 2015 earthquake that killed more than 9,000 people, also played a role in pandemic aid efforts. His current team includes 24-year-old café owner Ojaswi Raj Thapa and law graduate Rehan Raj Dangal, who help run the group’s Instagram and Discord accounts.
Thapa, a prominent figure in the protests, said judicial independence would be a top priority for the interim government. “We may need some changes to the constitution, but we don’t want to dissolve the constitution,” he told Reuters.
