A Sri Lankan government supporter holds a national flag after attacking anti-government protesters outside the presidential office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday, May 9, 2022.
As Sri Lanka grapples with an economic crisis, violence erupted in the country on Monday, as protesters went after supporters of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who later resigned. Later, an MP died during a confrontation outside the capital, police said. Army has been deployed in the national capital Colombo following incidents of violence. According to AFP, 139 people have been injured, while 2 have died in the protests. Rajapaksa’s resignation came after weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the president, step down over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. Rajapaksa said on Twitter that he had submitted his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. There was no immediate comment from the President’s Office. In many parts of the country, supporters of Rajapaksa were thrown out and attacked. Buses taking back supporters from the morning meeting were stopped and attacked. The homes of some government ministers and politicians who supported Rajapaksa were attacked and some were set on fire.