The economic crisis in Sri Lanka is affected by the war in Ukraine, the corona pandemic and the drought. People have been demanding the resignation of the president and the government for months.
Mikko Leppänen,
Sakari Nuuttila
President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa ran away from his official residence in the capital, Colombo, on Saturday.
Thousands of protesters demanding the president’s resignation broke through the police barriers and invaded the area of the official residence.
A witness told the news agency Reuters that the police fired warning shots. Television footage showed some of the protesters breaking into the president’s house.
– The president was taken to safety, a local security source told news agency AFP.
The protesters have held the entrance to the presidential office for three months already.
The island nation located in South Asia is suffering from a bad economic crisis. Among other things, there is a shortage of fuel in the country.
On Saturday, thousands of them gathered at protest sites in Colombo. Many arrived on bicycles or on foot due to lack of fuel.
The war in Ukraine affects the crisis in Sri Lanka
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine affects the sharp increase in fuel prices. In addition, Sri Lanka is still suffering from the effects of the corona pandemic on tourism, which is important to the country. At the same time, farmers are disciplined by the drought and the ban on chemical fertilizers.
The protesters accuse the president of mishandling the economic crisis. Earlier on Saturday, police fired tear gas at protesters demanding the resignation of Rajapaksa and his government.
Sri Lanka has negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help, but so far no solution has been found.