There have been violent scenes in Sri Lanka, with mobs targeting the homes of prominent political figures including the ruling Rajapaksa family.
The two-month-old crisis in Sri Lanka deepened on Tuesday, with the government ordering troops to shoot looters on sight after a day of violence, which saw mobs torch houses belonging to the ruling Rajapaksa clan and the prime minister resign.
The island nation has been rocked by a bout of violence that has left at least eight people dead and 200 injured amid its worst economic crisis in history. Protesters took to the streets in March demanding new leadership over acute shortages of food, fuel and other essentials.
Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis follows a pandemic that hit key tourism earnings, leaving the government grappling with rising oil prices and the impact of populist tax cuts.
Sri Lanka on Tuesday said those found damaging public property or harming others could be shot, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200, in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned over the government’s handling of the island nation’s worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. However, his brother is refusing to step down as president.
Why have people taken to the streets?
Protests over rising prices and shortages flared up in early April in the capital, Colombo, and have grown in size and spread across the country.
People are furious because the cost of living has become unaffordable.
Food prices started rising in late 2021, and people are now paying up to 30% more for food than a year ago. This has forced many people to skip meals.
There are also fuel shortages and power cuts, and a lack of medicines has brought the health system to the verge of collapse.
Protestors attempted to storm the prime minister’s official residence while Mahinda Rajapaksa was inside, and have attacked Rajapaksa family houses elsewhere in Sri Lanka.
The family has played a prominent role in Sri Lankan politics for years, occupying top positions in various administrations.
