DHAKA – Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left the country and stepped down from her role amid calls for her to resign, AFP reported.
Hasina, 76, is reported to have fled the country by helicopter, a source close to the leader told AFP shortly. It was also said that protesters stormed her official residence in Dhaka prior to that.
The source said she left first by motorcade but was then flown out, without disclosing her destination.
Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a broadcast to the nation on state television today that Hasina had resigned and the military would form an interim government.
“The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed — it is time to stop the violence,” Waker said, dressed in military fatigues.
“I hope after my speech, the situation will improve,” he said.
Thousands of students in Bangladesh have been protesting since July 1 after a court reinstated the quota for public sector jobs which was abolished in 2018.
The protests then turned violent after pro-government party members reportedly joined and escalated tensions, so far claiming dozens of lives. – August 5, 2024