ASIA/BANGLADESH - "It is to be hoped that public order will be restored after the incidents that have affected mainly Hindus and Christians"

Dhaka (Agenzia Fides) - "We are waiting for the new government led by Muhammad Yunus" an source from the local Church in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, told Fides. Muhammad Yunus, 84, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, has been appointed by the army to form a new government following the resignation and exile of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed (see Fides, 5/8/2024). "Bangladesh has achieved a new day of victory. Bangladesh has a second independence," said Yunus shortly after arriving in the capital Dhaka, calling today "a glorious day." "
There are many hopes for change, especially among the youth who led the street protests that forced Sheikh Hasina to resign," said the source.
"The youth want change, not a return to the past. In particular, they do not seem ready to replace Sheikh Hasina with her historic rival Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The two women represent two families that have been vying for power since the country gained independence in 1971. The young people want to overcome this dichotomy and achieve real change in national political life," the source stresses.
Muhammad Yunus also promised to restore order after days of violence, which was mainly directed against the Hindu minority. "Christians were also victims of violence, albeit in a less severe form, and thank God we have no deaths or serious injuries to report," the source said. "The most serious incident was the fire that destroyed the diocesan Center for internal migrants seeking work that was recently opened in Dhaka," he added.
"Some of the violence took place in the countryside, between neighboring villages or within the same village. Very often these are clashes between neighbors motivated by hatred, revenge or pure looting," the source continues.
"The violence is fueled by the feeling of impunity that comes from the fact that the police have disappeared from the streets. The police officers, who were associated by the population with the violent repression of the demonstrations of the last few days, now fear the revenge of the population. This is why no police officers are currently to be seen. Self-defense militias have been formed in the villages," the source says of the current situation. "It is to be hoped that the new government will soon be able to restore the situation of public order," he concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 8/8/2024)

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