In one of the largest anti-government marches in the country this year, protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Thousands of people descended on the government district of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, chanting slogans against the president and breaking through several police barricades to reach Mr. Rajapaksa’s home, Reuters news agency reported. Police fired shots into the air, but failed to stop the enraged crowd from surrounding the presidential residence. At least 21 people, including two policemen, have been injured in the riots, hospital sources said. The president was moved from his official compound to a secure location as a security precaution, according to two Defense Ministry sources, ahead of a planned weekend rally. Hundreds of protesters were seen crammed into the property on a Facebook live stream. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has now called political party leaders to an emergency meeting following the violence. The prime minister also requested that parliament be summoned by the president, a statement from his office said. The US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, called on people to demonstrate peacefully and for police to give protesters space – as she warned that “chaos and violence will not fix the economy”. Sri Lanka, which has a population of 22 million, is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, since it gained independence in 1948. It is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine. Many blame the country’s decline on Mr. Rajapaksa, who faces constant calls for his resignation. Image: Demonstrators hold anti-government slogans during a protest march in Colombo. Photo: AP Anger has intensified in recent weeks as fuel shipments have been cut, with petrol and diesel being rationed for essential services. The British Foreign Office has warned against all essential travel to Sri Lanka, which has been left in economic turmoil due to economic mismanagement and the impact of the COVID pandemic. In April this year, Sri Lanka announced it was suspending foreign loan repayments, blaming a shortage of foreign currency. It has amassed £42.4bn of debt – around half of which, £23.3bn, must be repaid by the end of 2027. The crisis has severely damaged the reputation of the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. One of Mr. Rajapaksa’s brothers resigned as prime minister last month, and two other brothers and a nephew resigned earlier from cabinet posts, but Mr. Rajapaksa remained in power. Mr Wickremesinghe, who took over as prime minister in May, is also facing calls to resign for failing to close the gap in the country’s finances.
