Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president of Sri Lanka, is said to have escaped after protesters broke into his residence. The president was mobbed by demonstrators calling for his resignation before leaving his home. In one of the largest antigovernmental marches of the year, thousands of protestors in Colombo, wearing black and waving Sri Lankan flags, invaded the president’s residence and a nearby office.
A Facebook livestream from inside of the presidential residence showed hordes of protesters were jamming into rooms and hallways while insulting at the 73-year-old president.. On social media, footage of protesters standing and even taking a dip in the president’s swimming pool was widely shared.
The finance ministry and the seafront presidential secretariat, which have been the sites of sit-in protests for months, had its gates broken open and were both overrun by thousands of protestors.
Hundreds of people were also milling about on the grounds outside the white-washed colonial structured building. There were no security personnel present. According to reports, the president has been relocated to a secure but secret location. At both sites, military men and police struggled to control the mob as they chanted upon Rajapaksa to resign.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, , informed political leaders that he is ready to resign in order to pave way for a new administration.
His choice follows a meeting of party leaders in Colombo to try to settle a situation that arose earlier on Saturday when demonstrators broke into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence and offices. They were calling for the resignation of the president, a demand that was later repeated in the meeting by political leaders who also demanded Wickremesinghe resign as he failed to fulfil his promises.
According to a statement from his media office, Wickremesinghe made this decision since fuel distribution would resume and the debt sustainability assessment report for the International Monetary Fund is about to be completed.
