250 injured, seven dead: events in Sri Lanka have escalated in recent days. But the island state is not only on the brink politically.
The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry has given the order to shoot. Any demonstrator who damages property or puts fellow citizens at risk becomes a target for security forces.
Since the beginning of the week, 250 people have been injured and seven killed in the violent protests. The violent clashes between government opponents and supporters have not ended even after the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The unrest is the result of the worst economic crisis since the island nation gained independence in 1948.
An overview.
PM entrenched in naval base after resigning
The riots are the result of more than a month of simmering mood in the country of 22 million people in the Indian Ocean. The unrest picked up speed as early as April. As a result of a nationwide state of emergency, the government blocked social media and authorized authorities to arrest people without warrants. The deterrent failed.
After the protests had not abated for weeks, they reached their violent peak on Monday. Because of the enormous rise in prices across the country, especially for food and fuel, people in the capital Colombo took to the streets and demanded the dismissal of the government, above all Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
It became bloody when supporters of the head of government, who had apparently traveled to Colombo specifically for this purpose, attacked his opponents on the street with sticks and clubs. The demonstrators in turn set fire to dozens of politicians’ houses, and the Sri Lankan police resorted to water cannons and tear gas. Hundreds were injured in the clashes and several people died.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Monday and fled to a naval base the following day. All ministers lost their posts with him.
Sri Lanka: No end to the protests in sight
An end to the riots is still not in sight. Demonstrators are now demanding Mahinda’s arrest, accusing him of orchestrating the attacks on the protesters. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defense ordered security forces to shoot at all vandals and looters. Shortly before, Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had called on Twitter for an end to the violence and acts of revenge against other citizens. Gotabaya is the brother of the head of government who has fallen out of favor with the people.
The Rajapaksa family has dominated national politics for years. Mahinda, who is now hiding from angry demonstrators, served as president at the end of a long civil war between government forces and Tamil Eelam’s so-called “Liberation Tigers”. His younger brother Gotabaya, now president, was defense minister at the time.
Two other brothers who headed finance and agriculture ministries resigned in April as protests intensified in the country. The same applies to Namal, a son of ex-Prime Minister Mahinda, who gave up his post as sports minister.
Shredding national reserves: the result of nepotism and mismanagement
Sri Lanka is struggling with the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. As reported by the British BBC, food prices have been rising since the end of last year. Because food is now up to 30 percent more expensive, many Sri Lankans feel compelled to forgo meals. Scarce fuel, hours of power outages and a serious shortage of medicines are further aggravating the situation in the island state. Petrol, gas and coolant have been rationed for weeks. The US news channel CNN reported last month that people are said to have died in the heat while waiting for hours in front of gas stations guarded by soldiers.
The government, in turn, blames the lack of tourism income due to the corona pandemic for the impending national bankruptcy. However, according to the BBC, experts and demonstrators agree that years of nepotism and mismanagement are to blame for the precarious situation. After the end of the civil war, the government increasingly relied on its own production – as a result, there was no export income, which is essential for state revenue, and the state became increasingly dependent on foreign imports. In addition, Sri Lanka has accumulated huge debts to China in order to be able to finance infrastructure projects that are often unnecessary as part of the “New Silk Road”. Finance Minister Ali Sabry recently stated that the country’s reserves had shrunk to around US$50 million.
According to the “Indian Express”, countermeasures failed miserably: In order to counteract the dwindling reserves, the government temporarily banned the import of chemical fertilizers – the farmers were supposed to switch to organic, domestic alternatives. The result: crop failures. Sri Lanka cannot afford the necessary food imports because of the increased market prices resulting from the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
The government has also suspended imports of many “non-essential” goods, such as cars, the BBC further reports. President Gotayaba’s attempt to stimulate economic growth through tax cuts also backfired, writes CNN. Already dwindling government revenues continued to fall, prompting rating agencies to downgrade Sri Lanka’s credit rating to junk status, resulting in difficult access to foreign markets. To make matters worse, according to CNN, the government under Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa floated the national currency on the stock market in March in order to indirectly apply for a loan from the International Monetary Fund. Instead, the value of the Sri Lankan rupee plummeted – inflation is taking a massive toll on the population.
Opposition wants to set up interim government
On Wednesday it is said to have remained comparatively quiet on the streets. The curfew, which was extended until Thursday and which the demonstrators had previously not adhered to, is apparently having an effect for the time being.
The main opposition party has meanwhile also demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the United Peoples’ Party has agreed to take over as prime minister in an interim government. However, his party made it a condition that after the resignation of the previous head of government, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president, his brother, would also resign from office.
This does not help the economic situation – and thus the people – in the short term. Without emergency loans in the billions, which are urgently needed to import fuel, the situation threatens to escalate further.
Sources: ; “”; ; “”; with material from the news agencies AFP and dpa
Source: Stern
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