Nobel laureate to lead Bangladesh, for now

Violence is the enemy of Bangladesh, the country’s new leader said in a Wednesday speech covered by local media. Muhammad Yunus is a banker, civil society leader, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He urged peace and calm as the country established an interim government. Bangladesh’s president the day before confirmed that Yunus would lead the temporary government, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

The U.S. Embassy on Wednesday warned of security for the capital of Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh. Even after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned, Bangladesh’s military remained deployed nationwide and a curfew remained in effect indefinitely. Violent clashes occurred in Dhaka and elsewhere along with incidents of vandalism, arson, and assault, the embassy said. Even so, the streets of Dhaka appeared calmer on Tuesday following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, the Tribune reported on Tuesday.

What will this interim government look like? Bangladesh’s Army chief Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman said roughly 15 members would compose the new interim government and those members would take their oaths of office on Thursday, the Tribune reported. But one or two officials may join the interim government later, Waker-Uz-Zaman said.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from yesterday about how Bangladesh’s president dissolved parliament and promised an interim government following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.