Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka have broken into police barricades and stormed the official residence of the president.
In one of the largest anti-government marches in the country this year, protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Thousands descended on the government district of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, shouting slogans against the president and dismantling several police barricades to reach Mr Rajapaksa’s home, according to Reuters news agency.
Police fired into the air but were unable to prevent the enraged crowd from surrounding the presidential residence.
At least 21 people, including two police officers, have been injured in the riots, hospital sources said.
The president was moved from his official facilities to a safe place as a security measure, according to two Defense Ministry sources, before a rally scheduled for the weekend.
Hundreds of protesters were seen crammed inside the property in a live Facebook broadcast.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has now summoned political party leaders to an emergency meeting in the wake of the violence.
The prime minister has also called for the president to convene parliament, a statement from his office said.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung urged people to protest peacefully and for police to give space to protesters, warning that “chaos and force will not fix the economy.”
Sri Lanka, which has a population of 22 million people, is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades since independence in 1948.
It has been fighting for a severe shortage of foreign exchange that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine.
Many attribute the country’s decline to Mr. Rajapaksa, who has faced standing calls for resignation.
Image: Protesters hold anti-government slogans during a protest march in Colombo. Image: AP
Anger has intensified in recent weeks as fuel shipments declined, prompting gasoline and diesel to be rationed for essential services.
The British Foreign Office has warned against all essential travel to Sri Lanka, which has been left in financial crisis due to economic mismanagement and the impact of the COVID pandemic.
In April this year, Sri Lanka announced that it was suspending the repayment of foreign loans due to currency shortages.
It has accumulated debts of £ 42.4 billion, of which about half, £ 23.3 billion, is to be paid by the end of 2027.
The crisis has severely affected the reputation of the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
One of Rajapaksa’s brothers resigned as prime minister last month, and two more brothers and a nephew left office in the cabinet earlier, but Rajapaksa has remained in power.
Wickremesinghe, who took over as prime minister in May, is also facing calls to resign for not covering the gap in the country’s finances.