Sri Lanka Crisis: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Set To Resign After Angry Protesters Stormed His Residence

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially announced the decision that he is set to step down from his post after protesters stormed into his official residence and set the prime minister's house on fire. Fortunately, neither the Lanka President nor the PM was in the buildings at the time on Saturday (July 9).

Thousands of angry protesters descended on the capital Colombo, demanding President Rajapaksa's resignation after many months of protests over the ongoing economic mismanagement, reported BBC.

However, it seems that the Lankan citizens will finally get their demands fulfilled as Rajapaksa is now set to step down from his position on July 13. Furthermore, PM Wickremesinghe has also agreed to resign.

Hundreds of protesters in #SriLanka, demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation, stormed into his residence in the high-security Fort area of central #Colombo after breaking the barricades on July 9. #SriLankaProtests pic.twitter.com/z3c68GFUQE

— The Logical Indian (@LogicalIndians) July 9, 2022

The speaker of parliament stated that the president chose to step down "to ensure a peaceful handover of power" and called for the public to "respect the law".

Reaction To Rajapaksa's Resignation!

The announcement of the president's resignation triggered an eruption of celebratory fireworks in parts of Colombo. Currently, Sri Lanka is battling an uphill fight against rampant inflation and is toiling to import fuel, medicine and food amid the country's worst-ever economic crisis in 70 years.

Furthermore, the island nation has run out of foreign money and had to impose a ban on diesel and petrol sales for private vehicles, causing days-long queues for fuel. The shocking occurrences of Saturday appeared to be a culmination of months of mostly peaceful protests in the island nation.

Massive crowds converged on President Rajapaksa's official residence, waving the national flag and chanting slogans before they broke through the barricades and entered the property. Online footage showed protesters storming through the house and swimming in the president's pool. Meanwhile, others emptied out a chest of drawers, picked through the president's belongings and used his luxurious bathroom.

The contrast between the luxury of the palace and the months of hardship endured by the country's 22 million people was not lost on the protesters.

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