Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to be chief adviser of interim Bangladesh govt after Sheikh Hasina flees

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned after fleeing from the country. The Army chief said that an interim government would be formed.

Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters, many brandishing sticks, gathered in a central square in Dhaka on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a deadly police crackdown. Asif Mahmud, a prominent leader of the nationwide civil disobedience campaign, urged supporters to prepare for confrontation.

"Prepare bamboo sticks and liberate Bangladesh," he posted on Facebook.

Amid the unrest, the army intervened to restore order. However, support for the protests has grown among former military figures, including ex-army chief General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan, who changed his Facebook profile picture to red as a gesture of solidarity.

Current army chief Waker-uz-Zaman addressed officers at military headquarters in Dhaka on Saturday, emphasizing that "the Bangladesh Army is the symbol of trust of the people." He assured that the army would stand by the people and the state in times of need, though the statement did not clarify if the army supported the protests.

The protests began in response to controversial civil service job quotas and have escalated into some of the worst unrest during Hasina's 15-year leadership, with over 200 people killed in July's violence. While troops briefly restored order, massive crowds returned to the streets this week, initiating an all-out non-cooperation movement to paralyze the government.

On Saturday, as hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Dhaka, police largely stood by as the demonstrations continued.