Fire broke out tonight at the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, after thousands of anti-government protesters managed to invade the prime minister’s compound, as reported by a journalist of the French Agency.
The police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had previously been attacked by supporters of ousted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Five people were killed and more than 189 were injured in the clashes, according to a new police report.
Two people were killed in the city of Uiraketiyawhere a member of the ruling party opened fire on protesters.
Rajapaksa submitted his resignation this morning as the worst economic crisis the island has faced since independence and which has led to widespread protests. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to whom he has resigned, is his younger brother.
For months now, the island of 22 million people has been facing severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
This unprecedented crisis, attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has deprived the country of tourism revenue, has been exacerbated by a series of bad political decisions, according to economists.
The population has been protesting for weeks, accusing President Rajapaksa and his brother-in-law of plunging the country into crisis and demanding their resignation.
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