A newly released report has warned that Washington’s commitment of more than USD900 million—equivalent to around Rp14.7 trillion—toward Nepal since 2020 reflects a deliberate U.S. effort to reshape the Himalayan nation’s political order amid mass protests sweeping across the country.

The demonstrations, which resulted in the deaths of at least dozens of people, destroyed government facilities and commercial property, and eventually forced Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli to resign, are widely seen as a response to corruption, unemployment, and restrictions on social media.

However, documents leaked by whistleblowers reveal that U.S.-funded programs have, for years, been designed with the goal of remolding Nepal’s political landscape.

According to Press TV, internal papers obtained by the Sunday Guardian disclosed that since 2020, more than USD900 million in aid has been directed to Nepal.

USAID alone has pledged USD402.7 million through a Development Objective Agreement (DOAG) signed in May 2022, with USD158 million disbursed by February 2025.

Meanwhile, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, under a USD500 million agreement ratified in February 2022, had released only USD43.1 million by early 2025, though projects remain ongoing with extended timelines.

Key initiatives include Project 4150, “Democratic Process,” funded with USD8 million, and Project 4177, “Nepal Democracy Resource Center,” fully financed at USD500,000.

Civil society and media-related programs were allocated USD37 million, while youth health initiatives received USD35 million.

Critics caution that while these programs are officially presented as civil, media, and health projects, they also function to shape political narratives and mobilize youth participation in governance.

These initiatives are run by the U.S.-based consortium CEPPS and its partners—the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)—focusing on youth engagement, party democracy, governance, and electoral systems.

For instance, NDI trains activists in leadership and advocacy, while IRI conducted a 2024 national survey revealing that 62% of Nepalese citizens wanted a new political party, echoing the grievances that fueled the recent protests.

Observers point out parallels with U.S.-funded interventions in Bangladesh and Cambodia, where youth and civil society programs coincided with political unrest.

In Nepal, the combination of vast funding, targeted initiatives, and active youth involvement suggests that the recent turmoil in the country may indeed have been influenced by U.S. intervention.