Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence on Saturday shortly before angered protesters stormed his compound and nearby office in the capital of Colombo. Thousands of anti-government protesters from all over the country marched to Colombo demanding his resignation after months of protests over the mismanagement of the country's economic crisis.
The president's older brother resigned as prime minister in May after violent protests saw him seek safety at a naval base, while three other Rajapaksa relatives had quit their Cabinet posts earlier.
New prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over in May earlier stated that the country's economy had collapsed and that negotiations with the IMF have been complex due to Sri Lanka's bankruptcy.
In the wake of the recent crisis, Wickremesinghe has summoned an emergency meeting of political party leaders.
The island nation of over 20 million people has been impoverished after they stopped receiving fuel shipments, hence pushing the inflation to as high as 60%, forcing school closures and rationing of petrol and diesel for essential services.
