PM Ranil Wickremesinghe also declares curfew in Colombo after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees to Maldives.
- The Sri Lankan prime minister’s office has confirmed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country.
- Rajapaksa, 73, left for the Maldives hours before he was expected to resign amid widespread protests over his handling of a devastating economic crisis.
- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency across the island nation.
- Hundreds of protesters in Colombo continue to occupy the official residences of the president and the prime minister after both buildings were stormed on Saturday.
- Sri Lanka is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund
source: aljazeera news