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2024 Bangladeshi military coup

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2024 Bangladesh military coup
Date5 August 2024
Location
Bangladesh
Result

Successful coup

  • Army of Bangladesh takes control of the government
Belligerents
Bangladesh Government of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bangladesh Army

Supported by:
Commanders and leaders
Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh Waker-uz-Zaman
Strength
Unknown

The 2024 Bangladeshi military coup was a military coup that happened on 5 August 2024. Bangladesh faced significant turmoil as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned amid massive protests and an army coup. The unrest, which began over a controversial quota system reserving government jobs for descendants of freedom fighters, escalated following Hasina's remarks perceived as inflammatory. Violent clashes resulted in over 300 deaths. The Bangladesh Army, led by General Waker-Uz-Zaman, took control and announced the formation of an interim government, urging protesters to cease violence. Hasina, accompanied by her sister, fled Dhaka and landed in Hindan Air Force Station in Ghaziabad, India.[1][2]

Background

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Main article: 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement

In 2024, Bangladesh experienced significant political upheaval following violent protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The unrest began as a protest against a quota system reserving 30% of government jobs for descendants of Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters), which many claimed favored the ruling Awami League. Tensions escalated after Sheikh Hasina's remarks defending the system and suggesting that the alternative beneficiaries would be descendants of Razakars, who were collaborators with the Pakistani military during the 1971 liberation war.

Events

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On 5 August 2024, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position and fled the country after mass protests that began in July 2024 against job quotas led by university students. It later escalated into a deadly unrest and led to her downfall.[3][4] As per local reports, the Bangladesh Army gave a 45-minute ultimatum to the Hasina to step down.[5]

Around 3:00 p.m. BST, protesters stormed into the presidential residence unopposed, and looted furniture, TVs, chairs, etc. Protesters also took away Hasina's luxury items with them.[6] A protester climbed on the statue of Hasina's father, and state founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, attempting to chisel away the head of the statue with an axe.[3]

Aftermath

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After the resignation, Hasina vacated her residence in Dhaka and fled the country to an undisclosed location in India.[7] At around 6:30 PM IST, Hasina was received by India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the Hindan Air Force Airfield in Ghaziabad.[8] She travelled in a Bangladesh Air Force C-130 military transport. According to Flightradar24, her aircraft AJAX1413 became the "World's most tracked plane" with over 29,000 people tracking at the same time.[8][9] Hasina will remain in India until she receives political asylum in a third country.[10][11]

At 3:30 PM IST, Army General Waker-uz-Zaman announced that he took full responsibility to bring the situation under control and assured that the army would meet all the demands of the protestors. He mentioned that the army will create an interim government soon.[12] He urged the protesters to stop the unrest as reports of vandalism emerged.[13]

Army chief held meetings with the representatives of various political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jatiya Party[12]. Zaman will meet the President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the way ahead.[14][15]

Global reactions

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International

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  •  EU: Foreign policy chief of EU, Josep Borrell called for "calm and restraint" stating orderly and peaceful transition towards a democratically elected government is vital. He added that human rights and democratic principles must be respected.[16]
  •  India: MEA, India stated Government of India is closely monitoring the developments in Bangladesh, and assured continuous support to its nationals.[17] MEA urged Indian citizens to exercise extreme caution in Bangladesh, and stay in close contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka. India put its Border Security Forces on high alert on its 4,096 km common border with Bangladesh. India also cancelled trains and flights to Dhaka.[11].
  •  UK: The Foreign Secretary of the UK, David Lammy called for the UN to do a complete and independent investigation into the events of the past few weeks happened in Bangladesh[16]
  •  UN: The UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged for a “peaceful, orderly and democratic transition”. His spokesperson Farhan Haq called for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into all the events of violence.[16]
  •  United States: The White House called for a democratic interim government formation and urged all parties to stop further violence and restore peace swiftly.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Quits, Army Coup Amid Massive Protests". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Sheikh Hasina lands at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad". India Today. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b Paul, Ruma; Ganguly, Sudipto (5 August 2024). "Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina flees, army says interim government to be formed". Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Iron lady Sheikh Hasina ends 15-year rule and flees Bangladesh". France 24. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Quits, Army Takes Over Amid Massive Protests". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Videos: Protester poses on Sheikh Hasina's bed, others with Dior suitcase, saree". India Today. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  7. ^ "As Sheikh Hasina flees, what does it mean for India? Six preliminary takeaways from Bangladesh's crisis". The Indian Express. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Bangladesh Air Force Flight Carrying Sheikh Hasina Becomes 'Most Tracked Plane' In The World". News18. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  9. ^ "AJAX1431: All about Bangladesh Air Force's most tracked flight carrying Sheikh Hasina - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  10. ^ Paul, Ruma; Ganguly, Sudipto (5 August 2024). "Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina flees, army says interim government to be formed". Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "S Jaishankar Meets PM Modi As Sheikh Hasina Flees Bangladesh After Army Takeover". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Meet Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman who just took over after Sheikh Hasina's flight". The Economic Times. 5 August 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  13. ^ Adler, Nils. "Bangladesh protests live: PM Sheikh Hasina quits, interim gov't taking over". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Iron lady Sheikh Hasina ends 15-year rule and flees Bangladesh". France 24. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  15. ^ "As Army announces interim govt, a look at past military coups and interventions in Bangladesh". Firstpost. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "Western powers urge Bangladesh calm, democratic transition". Arab News. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  17. ^ Haidar, Suhasini (5 August 2024). "MEA remains silent on Bangladesh crisis as Sheikh Hasina resigns". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  18. ^ "U.S. Urges Peaceful Resolution Amid Bangladesh Leadership Crisis | Politics". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
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