A web of allegations: Ex-official claims U.S. interests toppled Bangladeshi government
By willowt // 2025-11-10
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  • A former Bangladeshi minister alleges the Clinton family and USAID funded the 2024 protests that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
  • Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury claims the unrest was a "carefully planned" operation, not a spontaneous uprising.
  • He points to a long-standing nexus between the interim government of Muhammad Yunus and the Clinton family.
  • The accusations raise questions about the use of U.S. foreign aid and NGO activities for political interference.
  • The events have shifted Bangladesh's foreign policy, straining its historically close ties with India.
A senior figure from Bangladesh's ousted government has leveled explosive accusations against powerful American political and aid organizations, claiming they orchestrated a regime change operation that led to the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In a detailed interview, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, a former cabinet minister and chief negotiator during the crisis, alleged that U.S. funding and a nexus involving the Clinton family were used to destabilize and ultimately unseat the long-serving leader. These claims, emerging more than a year after Hasina's dramatic departure, cast a shadow over the nature of the 2024 protests and challenge the official narrative of a spontaneous youth-led movement.

The unrest and the accusations

The political landscape of Bangladesh was irrevocably altered in August 2024. What began as student-led protests against a quota system for government jobs escalated into nationwide violence. The interim government reported over 700 deaths as the situation spiraled out of control, culminating in crowds storming the prime minister's residence and forcing Sheikh Hasina to flee the country after 15 years in power. A caretaker government was established, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Chowdhury now contends this outcome was not organic. He asserts that U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, specifically naming the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), had been running campaigns against the Hasina government since 2018. He alleges that funds intended for aid were diverted to finance a "carefully planned" chaos that was deliberately turned into a large-scale riot.

The Clinton-Yunus nexus

Central to Chowdhury's allegations is a claimed relationship between the Clinton political family and Muhammad Yunus, who now leads Bangladesh's interim government. He pointed to a history of mutual admiration, noting that former President Bill Clinton had publicly championed Yunus for the Nobel Prize years before he won it in 2006. Furthermore, Yunus was a featured speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2024, where he was warmly received. Chowdhury described this as evidence of a "nexus from a very long past," alleging that "clandestine NGO funding" facilitated by this relationship was used to undermine the sitting government. He stated that these entities were "hell-bent on changing the government in Bangladesh," framing their actions not as promotion of democracy but as a direct effort to install a more pliable administration.

Historical context and strategic shifts

The allegations must be understood within the complex historical and geopolitical framework of South Asia. Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, fought a bloody war of independence from Pakistan in 1971, a conflict in which millions of Bengalis were killed. The historical animosity has been a cornerstone of Bangladeshi foreign policy for decades, with Dhaka maintaining a close strategic partnership with India, which supported its independence. However, since the Yunus interim administration took power, observers have noted a discernible shift in Dhaka's diplomatic focus away from New Delhi and toward a rapprochement with Islamabad. This dramatic realignment, if it continues, would significantly alter the balance of power in the region and aligns with concerns raised by Hasina, who has previously accused Yunus of "selling the nation to the U.S."

A global pattern of suspicion

The claims from Bangladesh resonate with a broader, persistent narrative of U.S. political interference that is often cited by conservative national security analysts. Similar accusations have been made by other former world leaders, including Imran Khan of Pakistan, creating a pattern that fuels skepticism about the methods and objectives of American foreign policy and aid distribution. While USAID's functions were formally shifted to the State Department in 2024, the allegations highlight enduring questions about the potential for humanitarian and development funds to be weaponized for political ends. The situation underscores the delicate balance Western nations must strike between advocating for democratic principles and respecting national sovereignty.

An altered political horizon

The fallout from the 2024 unrest continues to redefine Bangladesh. The serious allegations made by a key insider suggest that the internal and external forces shaping the nation's destiny are more complex than they first appeared. For international observers and regional powers, the events in Dhaka serve as a potent case study in how domestic unrest can be perceived as a proxy for international power plays. The long-term legitimacy of the current interim government and the future of U.S.-Bangladeshi relations may hinge on the international community's response to these claims and the ultimate clarity brought to the circumstances surrounding a prime minister's fall. Sources for this article include: RT.com FirstPost.com Organizer.org
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