A mass uprising forced Bangladesh’s longtime prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to step down and flee the country on August 5. And the violence continues even while the interim government is trying to establish reforms and keep order.
Hasina’s ouster was triggered by demonstrations—mainly led by students frustrated with the system that seemed to favor those with connections to the ruling party. After clashes between protesters and government forces led to hundreds of deaths, the movement grew into a broader rebellion against the leader and her government. Protesters continue to call for the former prime minister to face justice for the deaths of about 500 people during the monthlong uprising.
Mobs rampaged across the country after Hasina fled. Some of the violence was just criminal activity, according to Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Bangladesh and Myanmar at the Crisis Group “We shouldn’t assume they are all due to race or religion,” he continued.
But Hasina’s party, the Awami League, has historically been the party that protects minorities in Bangladesh. And just in the week after Hasina was ousted, there were at least 200 attacks against Hindus and other religious minorities across 52 districts, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a minority rights group that has been tracking incidents. Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation.
For many Hindus, the biggest worry has been the lack of police protection since police in many parts of the country went on strike after Hasina fled. We at AFFEO are also concerned that our work there could be in jeopardy. Please pray that order would soon be restored and that Christian minorities would not be targeted in the ongoing violence. Please also pray that the Lord would graciously protect orphans, vulnerable children and families affiliated with Christian organizations in this South Asian nation.