(SE): “I unite myself to the sorrow of the Sri Lankan people, who continue to suffer the effects of political and economic instability,” Pope Francis said on July 10, following the weekly Angelus, Vatican News reported.
Following weeks of popular unrest, groups of protesters stormed the presidential palace and other government buildings in Colombo on July 9, demanding the resignation of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who reportedly to have fled the presidential residence. Later in he and prime minister, Ranil Wikremesinghe, agreed to step down.
Reuters reported Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament, as saying that Rajapaksa and Wikremesinghe were supposed to resign from their posts on July 13.
However, Rajapaska and his family managed to abscond to on a military aircraft on July 12, according to various media reports. They arrived at Malé the Maldives in the early hours of July 13 before proceeding to Singapore.
On July 15, CNN reported that on Friday, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament confirmed that Rajapaksa had emailed a formal request to step down and this this had been accepted. Wikremesinghe will remain acting president until the parliament elects a new one.
Speaking to Crux in a June 11 interview, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith of Colombo, said that the crowds made their leadership understand that “they don’t have any confidence in them, and therefore the leadership was forced to make a decision.”
…the leadership in this country has a bad record of promises being kept, so we are all waiting anxiously to see whether he, the president, will keep his promise to resign
Cardinal Ranjith
Cardinal Ranjith expressed doubts that Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe would resign, saying “the leadership in this country has a bad record of promises being kept, so we are all waiting anxiously to see whether he, the president, will keep his promise to resign.”
AsiaNews reported that thousands of protesters broke through police barricades and stormed the president’s official residence.
At least 21 people were injured in the clashes and taken to hospital. Photographs and video on news media showed people roaming the grounds of the presidential palace and taking advantage of its facilities and swimming pool.
It was reported by UCAN that protesters discovered 17.85 million rupees [about $390,000] in crisp new banknotes, but turned it over to police following the storming of the official residence.
For months, the population has been protesting against the high cost of living and the unsustainable economic situation.
In April, Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy and the Rajapaksa’s older brother and former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was forced to resign as prime minister in May.
In his remarks on Sunday, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for peace, and implored Sri Lanka’s leaders “not to ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people.”
