- Bangladesh: Protesters want Nobel Prize winner as Prime Minister
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, one of the protest leaders has called on Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead a transitional government. According to student protest organizer Nahid Islam, this is the wish of the demonstrators. Yunus and his Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for helping many people escape poverty through small loans. Yunus himself has not yet commented publicly on this.
After weeks of protests that reached their peak on Monday with the storming of Prime Minister Hasina's palace and her flight abroad, the streets of the capital Dhaka were mostly quiet in the morning. A curfew imposed by Hasina has been lifted. Discussions for a transitional government are underway.
Meanwhile, there have been reports of further violence on Monday and especially overnight. Local media, citing local authorities, reported that more than a hundred people have been killed across the country. Most of the victims are said to be supporters of Hasina, who resigned on Monday and fled the country. Protesters are also reported to have stormed and looted houses of Awami League party members.
In light of the calls made by protest leaders, there's been a push for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to take the helm in the proposed transitional government. This proposition aligns with the wishes of the demonstrators. Notably, Yunus and Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their significant contributions in alleviating poverty through small loans.
