Since 2022, many young protesters, usually consisting of Gen Z students, have taken to the streets in opposition to the practices of their much older governments. Normally, this trend wouldn’t be surprising, as younger populations have historically been responsible for major protests. However these unorganized demonstrations are different because they have successfully toppled governments. In a trend not seen since the Arab Spring, young protesters have been victorious in removing leaders they saw as failures. Through Southeast Asia and Africa, from Bangladesh to Nepal and from Sri Lanka to Madagascar, Gen Z has found success by rising up to express their discontent.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh was ground zero for the first successful Gen Z protests this year. Protests began on June 5th after Bangladesh’ Supreme Court controversially ruled to reinstate a controversial job quota that limited opportunities after it was abolished by Prime Minister Hasina’s government. Soon after the verdict, protests, primarily led by young, gen-Z university students, began, demanding that the job quotas be removed. As the protests’ intensity increased, the Prime Minister responded by blocking internet access and temporarily shutting down universities in an attempt to quell protests. Hasina’s attempts to control the protests only lead to increasing dissatisfaction and frustration, and by July, the protests turned violent after student protesters were attacked by police in Dhaka.
The government crackdown on the student protests led to at least 1,000 arrested and 187 killed. Videos recorded and posted online showed protesters being ambushed by police and fired on by law enforcement at universities. Images showed streets engulfed in flames in Dhaka and Chittagong. Still, the government would go even further in its measures to break down the protests. A nationwide curfew was set, and the internet was almost completely shut down across Bangladesh. However, these measures failed as the violence only continued, with police and now military forces firing at protesters while the students continued to resist. More atrocities were filmed despite the internet blackout, one showing police dumping and leaving an injured student, identified as Shykh Yamin, to die in the street. By July 21, the Supreme Court finally scrapped the quotas, but by then, the protesters had more demands, including the release of protest leaders from custody, the removal of the curfew, the reopening of universities, and even the removal of Hasina. After a small pause, protests continued with their demands of Hasina’s resignation, reaching their greatest height with thousands of protesters in Dhaka. Police and military countered protesters, which resulted in 100 casualties, including 13 officers. Finally, on August 5th, the protest in Dhaka forced Hasina to step down as prime minister and flee Bangladesh in a military helicopter to her house to India. The nation has remained in crisis after the revolution, and while there has been some recovery, many issues still need to be resolved. Most recently, Bangladesh sentenced Hasina in absentia to death for crimes against humanity.
Sri Lanka
Three years ago, in 2022, the youth-led Agagalaya movement, standing for “The Struggle” in Sinhala, took hold of Sri Lanka. Life in Sri Lanka had been a struggle for many; daily life included frequent multi-hour blackouts and never-ending lines for fuel and cooking gas. Economically, the nation faced the burden of an inflation rate higher than 50%, one of the worst economic crises in the nation’s history, and whatever hope that existed seemed increasingly untenable. Politically, the Rajapaksa political dynasty had been concentrating their power since 2005 while poorly handling the nation’s finances. Citizens of the island nation finally had enough of their government’s failures and protests began in March 2022, growing larger and larger throughout the month. Once April hit, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, declared a state of emergency and ordered Sri Lankan forces to suppress the protests. Only two days later, Rajapaska’s entire cabinet resigned, including other members of his family’s political dynasty, leaving him to handle the increasingly violent protests by himself. Soon after, his party lost their majority in parliament, which forced an end to the state of emergency. Rajapaksa’s troubles only continued to escalate as his newly appointed finance minister resigned after holding his position for a single day. By now, Rajapaksa’s allies were urging him to step down.
The crisis worsened on April 10th after shortages for critical medicines began on the island nation, and Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt, which left the nation without any foreign exchange for trade. On April 19th, the police would murder a protester for the first time, the turning point as Sri Lanka descended into chaos. Violence commenced as battles between peaceful ant-goverment protesters and attacking government loyalists ended with 300 injured and nine dead in the capital of Colombo. Prime minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned on July 14th, isolating president Rajapaksa even further. Problems continued to pile on for the government, with a record breaking inflation rate and complete fuel shortage only enraging the population more and more. The UN even issued a warning of a developing humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, showing how far the nation had fallen into chaos. On July 9th, president Rajapaksa evacuated his home, which was soon raided by protesters, and Rajapaksa fled from the Maldives to Singapore, where he resigned from office. As humanitarian aid began to trickle into the devastated nation, Sri Lanka began its journey to recovery.
Nepal
In September 2025, Nepal experienced Gen Z protests and revolution in one of the most surprising events in modern geopolitics. Nepal has long struggled with economic weakness. Unemployment among Gen Z was reported to be higher than 20%, one of the worst in the region, and the youth population of Nepal had grown increasingly frustrated at the wealthy elite that dominated private sectors. The government, plagued by instability, could only make anemic attempts at change. Nepal’s monarchy faced quick decline after the violent 2001 Royal Massacre, leading to its abolishment in 2008. Since 1990, the position of prime minister has become a revolving door as few of the 27 appointees completed more than a single year in office. With ten corruption cases just in 2025, Nepal became plagued by frequent nepotism in the government, enraging unemployed youth who witnessed politicians’ children living in wealth and luxury. While these issues fomented discontent, a social media ban became the breaking point for many. On September 4th, the Nepalese government imposed a ban that blocked access to 26 social media platforms without any alternatives for the population to use. Peaceful protests organized by students marched throughout Kathmandu, blocking highways and forming crowds around important government buildings. The government’s response, however, would be violent, with police using tear gas and even ammunition to suppress the demonstrations at the cost of 19 lives. Even though the social media ban was lifted after the bloodshed, young Nepalis had only grown more furious.
The next day, peaceful protests transformed into violent riots and Kathmandu was thrown into complete chaos. Protestors marched on several government buildings, storming The Supreme Court, the presidential office, and homes of politicians. Tribhuvan International Airport closed under duress while other buildings, like the police station and Nepal’s largest media house, Kantipur Media Group, were set aflame, destroying the servers and offices that the company needed to maintain their online editions. The most shocking arsons occurred at the Parliament building and the Singha Durbar palace complex, truly displaying how far the protests had gone. On September 9th, Prime Minister K.P. Oli was forced to resign and flee Nepal after his office and home were invaded and burned by protesters. The next day, the military finally came in and ended the riots that had taken Kathmandu and other cities by storm, setting order to the nation and enforcing a curfew that had been previously disobeyed. Groups began providing aid to the injured and repairing Kathmandu’s streets. By the end of the protests, at least 74 people were dead and 1,033 people injured, though both totals vary by source. Though Oli has been replaced by Chief Justice Sushila Karki, the first female prime minister, Nepal has yet to recover from the aftermath of its the most deadly Gen Z revolution in history.
Madagascar
Madagascar’s protests are the most recent and, so far, the only Gen-Z demonstrations to succeed in Africa. For many Madagascans, resentment over government mishandling in many areas has been mounting for years, centered on failures to fix the constant water and power outages that plague the nation. These shortages prevented citizens from accessing basic necessities. High poverty also affected many citizens, including youth who acutely felt the impact of limited job opportunities in the face of government corruption and unregulated nepotism. On September, 25th, Madagascar’s Gen Z came out to protest on the streets in the thousands over shortages of clean water and electricity. The Madagascar government responded with force, having police use tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters and placing a curfew in Antananarivo and several other cities. President Andry Rajoelina also attempted to appease protesters by dissolving his government and firing the prime minister. Despite Rajoelina’s promises to resolve issues facing protesters, their numbers continued to grow and demand more changes. After an estimated 22 people were killed by law enforcement, this crackdown only caused protesters to reject Rajelina’s talks for peace as many were not willing to work with him after such violence force was used.
The decisive moment came when elite Madagascar soldiers led by Col. Michael Randrianirina betrayed their government and joined the side of the protesters. Randrianirina commanded his units to ignore any order given by the government, a move which the President failed to counter. On October 12th, the elite forces under Randrianirina mobilized quickly and took control of the country as Rajoelina was forced to evacuate, securing a successful coup. Though Rajoelina still claims the title of president on social media from an unknown location, leadership is now in the hands of Randrianirina, who was sworn in on October 17th. While many young citizens were overjoyed with the removal of their president, it has yet to be seen if their new leader will be able to make successful reforms to the nation.
While the four protests discussed in this article have been the most successful, there have still been many other protests led by Gen Z with similar goals. In Indonesia, Gen Z have protested the rampant government corruption and controversial policies. Indonesia’s fellow Southeast Asian neighbors of the Philippines and Timor-Leste have also had their own Gen Z protests against corruption and an unfair proposed budget bill, respectively. While Madagascar has seen the most success in Africa, youth protested for better health and education services and Kenya’s youth protested Morocco’s for police brutality. Even though it has been unable to depose its leaders, Latin America has also had its share of Gen Z protests in Peru, Paraguay, and most recently, Mexico. Many of these protests are still ongoing, and it is yet to be seen if they will be able to enact any lasting change.
The recent demonstrations in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Nepal reflect the hardship that impacts the lower and middle class population in those nations, especially economic struggles and high unemployment. These, combined with government corruption and nepotism, inflamed the tensions that ultimately led to change. When the government continuously, and even purposefully, fails to represent its citizens in the face of their struggles to put food on the table, people come to feel that protest has become their only recourse.
Despite these demonstrations being leaderless and decentralized, they were able to organize effectively through social media. Almost all nations affected by Gen Z protests have had their protesters use social media to plan meets, create demands and think of strategies to achieve their goals, which is why Bangladesh and Nepal issued bans on social media platforms to quash opposition. Though government violence momentarily stalled protests, the governments of Bangladesh, Nepal, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka ultimately could not defeat the united spirit of their citizens. Though it remains to be seen if these revolutions will end in lasting change, the countless protesters who sacrificed their lives at the intersection of free speech, economic struggles, and governmental corruption demonstrate Gen Z’s commitment to making itself heard in government and society at large.
Be First to Comment