The United Nations and the United States are facing serious allegations of orchestrating a regime change in Bangladesh, leading to the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and the installation of an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The political upheaval, which unfolded amid large-scale student protests in mid-2024, has drawn condemnation from the Awami League and its supporters, who claim it was a carefully designed coup aided by international actors, including UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

US President Donald Trump has openly acknowledged that a sum of $29 million was funneled through a dubious company owned by two individuals to “strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh.” This phrase, according to analysts, is a diplomatic way of admitting that the funds were used to destabilize Hasina’s government and pave the way for an unelected interim administration-something not allowed under the Bangladeshi constitution.

Hasina has alleged that her government’s refusal to grant the US a military base on a southern island angered Washington and led to its push for her removal. Although the US has denied these claims, the financial and diplomatic backing given to opposition movements, as well as its support for Muhammad Yunus, strongly suggest an active role in the transition.

If US funding played a crucial role in mobilizing the so-called student protests, the UN’s actions were even more decisive in ensuring their success. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has admitted that his office issued a warning to the Bangladesh Army, threatening to ban it from UN peacekeeping missions if it got involved in suppressing the July-August 2024 student protests. Given that participation in UN peacekeeping operations is both........

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