Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in the early hours of Wednesday, July 13, hours before he was due to announce his resignation amid protests in the country.
The BBC writes about it.
Rajapaksa with his wife and two bodyguards, were flown to Malé (the capital of the Maldives) by an An-32 military aircraft. On Wednesday, the president of Sri Lanka was supposed to leave office to "ensure a peaceful transfer of power" in the country. His term of office officially ends in 2024. Earlier, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickramasinghe, said that he would also resign as soon as a new government was formed.
The largest financial crisis since 1948 is taking place in Sri Lanka. The countryʼs foreign exchange reserves fell to a record low level, in April Sri Lanka declared default. The authorities suspended the work of schools and limited the sale of fuel. In several large cities, in particular in Colombo, hundreds of people stand in queues for hours for fuel. Because of this, there are clashes with the police and the military.
- On July 6, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, declared that his country was bankrupt.
- On July 9, protesters seized the presidentʼs residence in Sri Lankaʼs largest city, Colombo, demanding his resignation.