A former DJ and his little-known non-profit have become the unlikely power brokers behind Nepal’s dramatic political upheaval, after weeks of deadly protests forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
Sudan Gurung, 36, founder of the group Hami Nepal (We Are Nepal), used Discord and Instagram, platforms more commonly associated with gamers and influencers, to mobilize tens of thousands of young people across the Himalayan nation.
Demonstrations, triggered by a controversial social media ban and long-standing anger over corruption, spiraled into Nepal’s worst political crisis in decades, leaving at least 72 dead and more than 1,300 injured.
Protesters, most in their twenties, coordinated through VPNs and encrypted groups, issuing calls to action, fact-checking viral claims, and even sharing hospital contacts. Their reach grew so vast that national broadcasters began referencing Hami Nepal’s posts.
By Sunday, Gurung and his team had emerged as kingmakers. In consultations with Nepal’s president and army chief, the group pushed for former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, renowned for her anti-corruption stance, to be appointed as the country’s first female prime minister in an interim role ahead of March elections.
“We don’t want cabinet seats, we want to keep power with the people,” Gurung told reporters.
Hami Nepal, which first gained prominence during the 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, insists it is not seeking political office. Yet the group is already helping shape cabinet choices and promising to prioritize judicial independence and constitutional reforms.
Monday’s protest by young adults loosely categorised as a “Gen Z” movement, as most participants were in their 20s, turned deadly within hours and rapidly brought down the government.
The protests were directed at perceived government corruption and took off following a ban on multiple social media platforms – a directive that was reversed. Protesters clashed with authorities on the streets, leaving at least 72 dead and over 1,300 injured.
Gurung, who is older than the Gen Z age bracket, and his team have vowed not to take up any cabinet positions but want to be part of the future decision-making.
“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 Ronesh Pradhan, a 26-year-old volunteer for the group.
Gurung, who was a DJ before he founded Hami Nepal, organised civic relief when the worst earthquake in Nepal’s history killed over 9,000 people in 2015, and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team members running the Instagram account, whose followers have swelled to over 160,000, and Discord posts alongside Gurung include 24-year-old cafe owner Ojaswi Raj Thapa and law graduate Rehan Raj Dangal.
Thapa, who quickly emerged as a vocal protest movement leader, told Reuters in an interview that the judiciary was not independent and ensuring its freedom was a key priority once the interim government was put in place.
“We may need some changes to the constitution but we don’t want to dissolve the constitution,” he said on Thursday.
