Sri Lanka Crisis, Sri Lanka Protests, Sri Lanka Economic Crisis, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Gotabaya Rajapaksa

General Shavendra Silva today issued a statement saying that “an opportunity has arisen to resolve the current crisis in a peaceful manner”. He requested Sri Lankans to support the Armed Forces and the police to ensure that peace is maintained in the country.

The International Monetary Fund or IMF said it was closely monitoring the ongoing developments in the cash-starved country and hoped that the political crisis will be resolved soon to allow for the resumption of dialogue on an IMF-supported programme. Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt stands at $51 billion.

The United States has urged Sri Lanka’s politicians to come forward and “work quickly” to achieve long-term solutions to address the people’s discontent. The country criticised Saturday’s violence, but also warned Lankan forces over any attacks on protesters and journalists. 

Thousands of protesters barged into the official residence of embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday, demanding his resignation. The home of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was also set on fire even after he offered to quit. 

Following the protests, President Rajapaksa informed Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that he will step down on July 13, while Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said he would resign as soon as an all-party government was ready to take over.

President Rajapaksa’s current whereabouts remain unknown as of now. On Saturday, videos emerged of suitcases being loaded on a Sri Lanka Navy ship. Local media claims that the suitcases were of President Rajapaksa.

The Speaker would become the acting President after Mr Rajapaksa resigns. Later, an election among MPs will be held to elect a new President, reports said.

The unrest comes at the tail end of Australia’s ongoing cricket tour of Sri Lanka, with Pakistan’s squad also in the island nation for their upcoming series. Cricket officials said there were no plans to change their schedules, adding that the sport was unaffected by the political turmoil.

In May, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa had to quit as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in the face of massive anti-government protests. 

Sri Lanka has suffered through months of shortages of basic goods, lengthy blackouts and galloping inflation after running out of foreign currency to import essentials. The country has shut down non-essential public services in an effort to conserve fuel.