Hundreds of protesters in Sri Lanka tried to storm the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last night. Due to the riots, the police and army presence in the capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, was significantly increased on Friday.
The people of Sri Lanka are not satisfied with the severe economic crisis that is hitting the country. This led to the outbreak of demonstrations on Thursday evening, which in some places turned into riots. For example, protesters set fire to two military buses and a police car in the residential area where the president lives. They called for the resignation of the head of state.
Security forces responded by firing into the crowd and using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. Authorities said one protester and five officers were wounded. 45 people were arrested.
Rajapaksa was not at home at the time of the riots. He accused the protesters of seeking to destabilize the country, in reference to the Arab Spring, and the wave of uprisings in the Arab world more than ten years ago. “Thursday night’s demonstration was led by extremist forces calling for the Arab Spring to create a state of instability in our country,” the president said.
Sri Lanka is currently going through the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. This translates, among other things, into long queues at gas stations and regular blackouts. The country of 22 million people also faces severe shortages of food and goods, from medicine to cement.
Read also. Power outage for 10 hours a day in Sri Lanka
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