The youth of Nepal were angry because of long-standing corruption, lawlessness, inconsistency and unemployment. In particular, the Gen-G (born between 1997 and 2012) generation was expressing their discontent creatively against corruption and injustice on social media.

They were running 'Nepokid', 'Nepo Babies' campaign through social media such as 'TikTok', 'Reddit'. Meanwhile, the government decided to shut down 26 social networks including Reddit. As a protest, on 23 August, Gen-J generation took to the streets.

They were engaged in a peaceful protest and were brutally fired upon by the state, in which 21 people lost their lives. Due to the barbaric activities of the state, the 24th August movement turned violent. Finally, KP Sharma Oli resigned from the post of Prime Minister.

Oli's exit due to Gen-G rebellion. An interim government has been formed under the leadership of Sushila Karki, who is also a former Chief Justice. It is not only in Nepal that the youth rebellion took power. In other countries too, youth rebellions have brought down power. Among them are the famous youth movements from 2010's Arab Spring to 2025's Gen-G Uprising.

  ' Arab Spring'

About a decade and a half ago, a revolution was born in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Which forced the dictatorial rulers who had been rooted for decades to kneel. This popular revolution, known as the 'Arab Spring', is also known as the 'First Big Movement of the Digital Age' and the 'Facebook Revolution'. In which social media played a very important role.

In December 2010, the fire of this rebellion started in Tunisia and spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain by 2012. The movement carried grievances such as years of dictatorial rule, corruption, uncontrolled unemployment, human rights abuses and restrictions on citizens' political participation.

Tunisia's  'Jasmine' revolution

17 December 2010. Mohamed Bouzizi of Tunisia committed suicide. He set himself on fire after the local police insulted him by confiscating his basket of vegetables. The video and news of Bouziji's self-immolation went 'viral' on social media. This incident caused an explosion of anger among the Tunisian people. That inspired youth across the country to take to the streets and a movement was born. Which is known as 'Jasmine Revolution'.

As a result, massive mass protests broke out against then-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ruling the autocratic regime. The protest was so strong that the President was forced to kneel within a month of the protest. The 23-year-old regime fell. On 14 January 2011, he fled to Saudi Arabia with his family. This was the first victory of the Arab Spring. It gave new hope to the Arab and North African countries. In those countries also, the wave of popular uprising started spreading.

The end of Mubarak's 30-year rule

Encouraged by the success of Tunisia, a popular movement also started in Egypt. Since 25 January 2011, hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The crowd demanded the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, who had been ruling Egypt for 30 years. His reign was notorious for corruption, human rights abuses and political interference. The people, irritated by Mubarak's dictatorial behavior, rose to protest at once.

After 18 consecutive days of peaceful protests, Mubarak resigned on 11 February 2011. This event reinforced the message that Arab political change is possible.

Gaddafi's downfall in Libya

With the power in the hands of the people in Egypt, the movement also started in Libya from February 11, 2011. Protests began against Muammar Gaddafi, who has been in power for 42 years. However, Gaddafi refused to leave the regime. On the contrary, they adopted a policy of repression against the citizens. Which sparked a nationwide movement. As Gaddafi's repression escalated, the country entered civil war. On March 27, 2011, NATO, a military alliance of Western countries, entered Libya after Gaddafi's torture of civilians increased.

NATO launches airstrikes against Gaddafi's forces calling for humanitarian intervention. On 20 October 2011, Gaddafi was killed. After the fall of Gaddafi, Libya plunged into political instability. Seized by division and violence. The situation in Libya is still the same.

Yemen's different scenario

During the 'Arab Spring', the then president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was trying to extend his term by amending the constitution. Demonstrations began on January 27, 2011 against him, who has been in power in Yemen for 33 years.

Protesters demanded Saleh's resignation, but he was not ready to give it. On the contrary, they began to increase the oppression of the citizens. Dozens of protesters were killed in June 2011. In November 2011, following global pressure, he announced that he would step down, and in 2012, he left in a democratic transfer of power. Although elections were held in 2012, in 2014 the Houthi group (northern Yemen's main Shia community) took control of the capital, undermining the government of then-President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. The civil war that started since then is still the same. 

The capital Sana'a and most of the northern areas are under the control of the Houthi rebels. Even today, the political and security situation in Yemen is extremely unstable. Due to this civil war, 3 lakh people have lost their lives by the end of 2021 alone.

Syrian uprising

In Syria, in March 2011, some students were arrested for writing 'people want the fall of the regime' on the walls of the city of Deraa. Enraged by their arrest, the people took to the streets to demand political reform, an end to corruption, reduction of unemployment and guarantee of human rights. Although initially peaceful, the protests turned violent as the government began to crack down.

Instead of addressing the voices of opposition, then-President Bashar al-Assad's government brutally repressed the protesters. As a result, the peaceful protest turned into a civil war. In 2012, rebel groups began fighting government security forces. Finally, in April 2013, ISIS (Islamic State) also emerged in Syria. Then began the international intervention in Syria.

Since 2015, Russia has provided military support to al-Assad. Then the war displaced millions of civilians and killed thousands. Currently, the war is not completely over until 2025. Despite repeated peace talks by the international community, a permanent solution has yet to be found. It has been like a recurring wound.

The impact of the Arab Spring was also seen in Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria and Jordan. Bahrain's Shia majority protested against the Sunni monarchy. But with the military support of Saudi Arabia, those demonstrations were suppressed. Smaller movements took place in Morocco, Algeria, and Jordan, which brought some political reforms but failed to change power.

Hong Kong's   'Umbrella Movement'

As the 'Arab Spring' ushered in a new chapter of people's revolution in the digital age, the 'Umbrella Movement' in Hong Kong in 2014 attracted democracy lovers from around the world. The then Chinese government decided on 31 August 2014 to hold direct voting (in 2017) for the election of Hong Kong's 'Chief Executive'. In which the candidates were said to be selected only by the pro-Beijing 'nominating committee'. Hong Kong youth protested against this decision. The youth termed China's decision as 'fake democracy'.

Then from 22 to 26 September 2014, Hong Kong students launched a 'class boycott' campaign against China's decision. Thousands of students gathered at the Civic Square and started demonstrating. On 28 September 2014, the situation took a different turn.

The police used tear gas and 'paper spray' on the protestors. To avoid this, the protesters used the umbrellas they had, which later became the hallmark of the movement - 'Umbrella Movement'. After the repression of the police made the protestors more angry, the clash with the police started to increase. On 11 December 2014, the police forcefully evacuated the Admiralty demonstration site. With this, the 'Umbrella Movement', which lasted for 79 days, officially ended.

Although the 'Umbrella Movement' did not immediately establish democracy in Hong Kong, it created a long-lasting democratic spirit and awareness of resistance among the youth. On the basis of this movement, a major revolution took place in Hong Kong in 2019-2020, which is known as the 'Anti-Extradition Bill'. Which was the extradition bill proposed by China.

When the government proposed a law that would allow China to extradite suspected criminals, students, youth and citizens protested widely. Which proved how deep the influence of the Umbrella Movement was. Thus, the 'Umbrella Movement' has been established as an important milestone in the history of Hong Kong's democratic struggle.

The Sudanese revolution and the Khartoum massacre

Since December 2018 in opposition to high prices  Sudan's discontent suddenly transformed into a mass movement. The protests that started in Atbar city on 19 December 2018 spread across the country within days. High inflation, rising unemployment, corruption, and decades of authoritarian rule had driven citizens to the streets. Especially students, women activists and youth were at the forefront of the movement.

On April 6, 2019, thousands began a sit-in in front of the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.  The protests turned violent after the military took power on April 11, ousting President Basir. At least 128 people were killed and hundreds injured when the army attacked the sit-in site on June 3. Women were raped. It is known as the 'Khartoum Massacre'. After constant pressure, an agreement was reached between the military council and the protesting parties in August 2019. An agreement was reached between the two parties to hand over the power to the citizens. But after the military coup in 2021, the transitional process has become uncertain.

Nigeria's 'IndSARS'

The 'IndSARS' movement in Nigeria in 2020 is recorded as an important event in the country's history. The movement was particularly focused against police repression and misrule.

In 1992, a police unit named 'Special Anti-Robbery Squad' (SARS) was formed to control crime. However, over time, the unit became involved in serious crimes including murder, torture, kidnapping, extortion and rape. As a result, panic and anger arose among the common citizens. The 'EndSARS' movement started in October 2020 to end this unit. During the protest, a video of a 'SARS' official shooting a young man went 'viral'. Nationwide protests started against it.

The hashtag IndSARS spread widely on social media and millions of youths took to the streets. Soldiers opened fire on youths who were peacefully demonstrating on the street at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos. According to Amnesty International, at least 12 people were killed and hundreds were injured in this incident. This uprising is also known as the 'Lekki Toll Gate Shooting'.

After the Lekki incident, there were violent clashes across the country, government buildings were set on fire. The government mobilized the army to suppress the movement. The number of dead was increasing. According to Amnesty International, at least 56 people were killed in the protests throughout October. The movement formally abolished the 'SARS' but formed a new unit 'SWAT', which did not bring about substantial changes in police reform. However, the 'IndSARS' movement powerfully exposed the political awareness, digital power and voice of Nigerian youths on the international stage.

Thailand's   'Thai Democracy Movement'

Thailand also had a movement in favor of democracy. In this movement known as 'Free Youth Movement' or 'Thai Democracy Movement', the youth took to the streets. The continued rule of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who came to power through a military coup in 2014, and the undemocratic practices that followed caused deep discontent among the young generation. In February 2020, the decision to ban the popular youth party Future Forward Party added to the youth's anger and took to the streets. This movement was different from traditional political movements. It had no clear leader and was run in a decentralized fashion. It was led by Gen-G, students and youth activists. They 

made extensive use of digital tools to disseminate and organize their message. Social media platforms like 'meme', 'pop culture', 'K-pop fandom', 'TikTok' and 'Twitter' became the medium of the movement.

The three-finger salute movement inspired by the film 'Hunger Games' became a powerful symbol, representing the spirit of rebellion against the dictatorship. For the time being, this movement did not directly change power or bring about reforms. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha remained in power. However, the movement had some important long-term effects. It kept alive the possibility of a change in future political direction and power balance.

Rajapakse's exit in Sri Lanka

In 2022, Sri Lanka was plunged into a political and economic crisis. Citizens angry with corruption, nepotism and long-term economic failure chose the path of agitation. This movement was led by students. Which later came to be known as the 'Zen-G movement'.

Young people dissatisfied with the political structure and the old elite flocked to the capital, Colombo. Students and youths from villages took to the streets and directly challenged the responsibilities of President Gotabaya Rajapakse and his family, who headed the government.

This movement continued for about 113 days. Finally, the power of the Rajapakse family, which had been in sole rule for a long time, collapsed and Gotabaya Rajapakse fled. The movement not only chased Rajapakse, but gave birth to a new leadership. Traditional parties and old leaders were defeated in the 2024 general elections. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who opposed the traditional political and economic elite, won. But Sri Lanka is still facing economic challenges and political stability.

Student power in Bangladesh

A student-led movement was born in Bangladesh in 2024, just like in Sri Lanka. The movement started when the High Court ordered 30 percent reservation in civil services for the children of freedom fighters. Students were outraged when the court reinstated the suspended provision in 2018. The agitation started on June 6, 2024 by angry students lasted for about two months. Due to the impact of the

movement, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country and take refuge in India. An interim government was formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. But even after a year, political stability has not been established. Bangladesh is currently struggling with political instability, economic crisis and social challenges.