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After the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign on July 13, the head of the Sri Lankan Army, General Shavendra Silva, said on Sunday that there is now a chance to end the current political crisis peacefully and he urged the populace to support keeping the peace in the island nation.
On Saturday, thousands of angry anti-government protestors in Sri Lanka invaded President Rajapaksa’s official residence in the high-security Fort district of central Colombo and broke down the barricades. They demanded his resignation over the island nation’s worst economic crisis in recent memory. Even after the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe promised to resign, the protesters set fire to his private property.
Gen. Silva, the Chief of Defence Staff, stated in a brief statement that a chance has presented itself for a peaceful resolution to the current issue. He urged all Sri Lankans to support the police and armed forces in order to keep the nation peaceful, according to the Colombo Gazette news portal. The remark was made in response to the violence that was witnessed on Saturday at Galle Face and Fort as well as close to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s private residence.
Following the incidents, both Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa have volunteered to step down. After a large crowd invaded the President’s House in Fort, Gotabaya Rajapaksa offered to resign. Following a conflict with the Police and Security Forces, thousands of people descended upon the President’s House from all around the nation.
The military attempted to disperse the gathering by firing shots, using tear gas, water cannons, and other weapons. Although there were obstacles in their way, both young and old people persisted in pushing through them to get to the President’s House. The pool was utilised by members of the public who entered the residence.
From his official residence, President Rajapaksa was ejected considerably earlier. Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who led Sri Lanka to victory in its civil war with the LTTE, were formerly heralded as heroes; now, however, they are held responsible for the nation’s worst economic catastrophe.
With a population of 22 million, Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst economic instability in seven decades and is unable to pay for the importation of basic goods like fuel.
The government, which was experiencing a severe foreign exchange crisis that led to a default on its foreign debt, said in April that it would postpone paying back almost 7 billion USD of its around 25 billion USD foreign debt that is due through 2026. 51 billion USD are owed by Sri Lanka to foreign creditors. (PTI)
