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Sri Lanka is mired in a political and economic crisis, with the country’s president forced to flee his residence on Saturday, shortly after being attacked by hordes of protesters.
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The island nation of 22 million has endured months of prolonged power outages, severe food and fuel shortages, and inflation in the most painful downturn on record.
Months of protests have called for the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been accused of chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances.
The South Asian country emerged from a devastating civil war in 2009, but was hit by Islamist bombings in 2019 and was subsequently hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, which left the island without tourists.
A look back at how the crisis developed:
April 1: State of emergency
After a string of protests, Rajapaksa declared a temporary state of emergency, giving security forces broad powers to arrest and detain suspects.
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April 3: Cabinet resigns
Rajapaksa and his brother Mahinda – the prime minister – were isolated in Sri Lanka as nearly all cabinet members resigned in late-night meetings.
The central bank governor rejected calls for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, announcing his resignation a day later.
April 5: President loses majority
President Rajapaksa’s problems were exacerbated as Finance Minister Ali Sabri resigned a day after taking office.
The embattled leader lost his parliamentary majority as former allies urged him to resign. He lifted the state of emergency.
April 10: Drug shortages
Doctors in Sri Lanka say they have few life-saving drugs and have warned that the crisis could eventually kill more people than the coronavirus pandemic.
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April 12: Foreign Debt Default
The government announced it would default on its $51 billion foreign debt as a “last resort” after running out of foreign currency to import much-needed goods.
April 19: First person injured
Police killed a protester, the first casualty in weeks of anti-government protests.
The next day, the International Monetary Fund said it had asked Sri Lanka to restructure its huge foreign debt before reaching a rescue package.
May 9: Violence Day
A group of government supporters arriving from the countryside attacked peaceful protesters camped outside the president’s waterfront office in Colombo.
Nine people were killed and hundreds wounded in the ensuing retaliatory attack, with crowds targeting those responsible for the violence and setting fire to lawmakers’ homes.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned as prime minister, had to be rescued by the army after thousands of protesters stormed his Colombo residence.
He was succeeded by Ranil Wickremesinghe, a veteran politician who had been prime minister for several terms.
May 10: Execution order
The Ministry of Defense ordered troops to open fire if they saw anyone involved in a looting or “causing harm to life.”
But protesters ignored the government’s new curfew, which was lifted this weekend.
A senior police officer in Colombo was attacked and his vehicle was set on fire.
June 10: “Humanitarian Emergencies”
The United Nations has warned that Sri Lanka is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions already in need of aid.
More than three-quarters of the population has reduced their food intake due to the country’s severe food shortages, the United Nations said.
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June 27: Fuel sales suspended
The government said Sri Lanka was running out of fuel and stopped all gasoline sales except for essential services.
July 1: A new record for inflation
A day after the International Monetary Fund asked Sri Lanka to rein in high prices and skyrocketing inflation, government data showed inflation hitting a record high for the ninth straight month.
July 9: Attack on the presidential palace
President Rajapaksa, assisted by troops, fled his official residence in Colombo and was taken to an undisclosed location shortly before demonstrators stormed the compound.
Video from inside the residence showed jubilant protesters jumping into the swimming pool and exploring its stately bedroom.
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