Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, announced his resignation on Monday after continued violent protests between government supporters and opposition demonstrators threatened to worsen the region's economic crisis.
The official, who is the older brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, made the announcement that marked a concession from the ruling political family to mounting public fury over an unprecedented economic crisis. The situation has sent food and fuel prices in the region soaring high.
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Resigns
For several months, protests have remained peaceful until the prime minister appeared to be determined to cling to power as recently as Monday morning. At the time, he rallied his supporters at his official residence in the capital, Colombo. Soon, chaos erupted and violent protests began.
Pro-Rajapaksa demonstrators, many of whom were bused in from the countryside, attacked peaceful protesters found outside the residence and stormed the protest movement's main gathering site. They then indiscriminately beat people using clubs, causing protesters gathered in the area to retaliate a few hours later, as per the Washington Post.
After the violent protests, a nationwide curfew was imposed to quell the anger of opposing supporters. Authorities announced the restrictions shortly before Prime Minister Rajapaksa revealed his resignation.
There were at least 151 people who were admitted to the hospital following the violent protests in the area, said Colombo National Hospital. Armed military troops were deployed in the region to try and control the situation.
According to CNN, Rajapaksa's office released a statement that announced the 76-year-old prime minister and veteran politician was planning to resign. It read that Rajapaksa's letter of resignation was sent to his brother, the president.
Violent Protests
A lawmaker for the ruling party, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, allegedly fatally shot a 27-year-old man before taking his own life. The Rajapaksas have been the most powerful political family in the Southeast Asian nation for the past decades. However, the current economic challenges have turned into a political quagmire that has also included calls for the president to step down.
The region has been struggling to meet the basic needs of its people as imports, ranging from milk to fuel, have plunged. There have also been reports of dire food shortages and rolling power cuts which are only a handful of the escalating economic crisis.
In a Twitter post, the U.S. Department of States said that American officials are closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. They expressed their deep concern caused by the violence against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders. Authorities urged all Sri Lankans to focus on finding and enabling long-term solutions to the country's problems.
The Rajapaksa family's ancestral home located in the southern district of Hambantota was set on fire while local reports said that protesters tried to storm the prime minister's residence in Colombo's Temple Trees neighborhood.
The president, who has previously criticized international factors as being responsible for the crisis, is believed to have become more isolated amid the fast developments. He also issued a statement where he invited all parties in parliament to join together in a united national government to get through the crisis, the Hindustan Times reported.
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