Bangladesh: Military enforces curfew after protests

Bangladesh's army on Saturday began enforcing a curfew meant to quell student-led protests, after at least 105 people were killed this week in the unrest.

Troops were seen patrolling the capital Dhaka on foot and in armored vehicles.

"The army has been deployed nationwide to control the law and order situation," armed forces spokesman Shahdat Hossain told the AFP news agency.

The curfew will last until 10 a.m. local time (0400 UTC) on Sunday. The government said it will then assess the situation and decide the next course of action.

The measure was temporarily eased for two hours from midday to allow people to shop for groceries and supplies.

TV footage showed that people in the streets had their ID cards examined by soldiers at various checkpoints.

'They are shooting at people like birds'

More protests were reported later on Sunday in the neighborhood of Rampura.

"Our backs are to the wall," one of the protesters told AFP at the scene.

"There's anarchy going on in the country... They are shooting at people like birds."

An AFP journalist previously reported seeing police fire live rounds at protesters in Dhaka last weekend.

A suspension on internet and messaging services has remained in place since Thursday.

All gatherings were also banned on Friday, but there were continued clashes between protesters and police. Officers have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to disperse protesters.

US citizens urged to be cautious

The US has urged people to "reconsider travel" to Bangladesh due to what they described as "civil unrest" across the country.

"Ongoing demonstrations and violent clashes have been reported throughout the city of Dhaka, its neighboring areas, and throughout Bangladesh," the US State Department said on their website

"Telecommunications have been interrupted in Dhaka and across the country. Due to the security situation, there may be a delay in provision of routine consular services."

On Friday, protesters stormed a jail and freed over 850 inmates before setting fire to the facility, TV channels cited police as saying.

Protesters stormed and set fire to state-run broadcaster Bangladesh Television's head office in Dhaka on Thursday.

What sparked the civil unrest in Bangladesh?

The unrest broke out after a court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, including 30% for the families of those who fought for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The protests were also fueled by high youth unemployment in the South Asian country.

Bangladesh's government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had abolished the quota system in 2018. The state has appealed against the reinstatement of job quotas and the Supreme Court has suspended it for a month, with a hearing due for August 7.

Hasina was reelected for a fourth successive term in January this year.

Several opposition parties boycotted the election after the ruling Awami League rejected demands that a neutral caretaker government preside over it.

sdi/fb (Reuters, AFP, dpa)