Protesters demanding the resignation of the Sri Lankan president refused to leave the presidential palace on Sunday (10), after the official residence was occupied on Saturday. Action that forces the head of state to flee and promises to step down for the week.
“Our struggle is not over,” said student leader Lahiru Weerasekara. “We risked our lives. We won’t stop fighting until he’s really gone,” he said.
According to the Speaker of the Parliament, the President stated that he would submit his resignation “on 13 July to ensure a peaceful transition”.
Saturday’s dramatic events were the culmination of a wave of protests in the country on India’s south coast, which is facing an unprecedented political and economic crisis, with protesters blaming the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the capital Colombo to demand that Rajapaksa take responsibility for the shortage of medicine, food and fuel, a scenario that has plunged a relatively prosperous country into chaos.
The UN warned on Sunday of the possibility of a serious humanitarian crisis.
After storming the presidential palace, a colonial-era building, the crowd roamed the luxurious perimeter, several people jumped into the pool and rummaged through Rajapaksa’s wardrobe and belongings.
The soldiers opened fire in the air to allow the president to escape. Rajapaksa boarded a navy ship and was evacuated from the island.
The 73-year-old president has refused to resign despite a wave of violence in May that killed many and led to the resignation of his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s prime minister.
But Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally threw in the towel.
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Rajapaksa’s waterfront office was also seized by protesters and another group set fire to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s residence despite announcing his resignation.
Footage posted on social media shows the crowd cheering as the fire broke out shortly after the security forces attacked the journalists.
Previously, the police tried to disperse the protesters gathered in the administrative district, causing confusion.
Colombo’s main hospital said 105 injured were treated on Saturday and 55 remained in hospital on Sunday. Among the patients were seven injured journalists.
General General Shavendra Silva called for calm.
“There is an opportunity to resolve the crisis situation peacefully and constitutionally,” he said in a televised speech.
A Defense Ministry source said Rajapaksa is expected to arrive at Trincomalee naval base in the northwest of the island on Sunday.
The US government has urged Sri Lankan leaders to work “fast” to seek long-term solutions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s grain exports may have contributed to the unrest in Sri Lanka, fearing it could trigger further crises.
Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the Sri Lankan people. After the Angelus blessed the Vatican, the Pope said, “I agree with the suffering of the Sri Lankan people, who continue to suffer from the effects of political and economic instability.”
Uncertainty
The European Union urged “all parties to cooperate and focus on a peaceful, democratic and orderly transition”.
It remains unclear whether any individual in the legislature will be able to garner enough support to replace Rajapaksa. “We are approaching a dangerous uncertainty,” MP Dharmalingam Sithadthan, a member of the Tamil minority, told AFP.
Citing Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the politician pointed out that “Gota” should “resign immediately, without leaving a power vacuum.”
Sri Lanka has been battling basic food shortages, power cuts and rampant inflation for several months after the country ran out of foreign currency reserves needed for imports.
The government has declared a $51 billion debt moratorium and is seeking loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF said on Sunday it expects “a solution to the current situation that allows dialogue to resume”.
source: Noticias
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