Prior to a rally calling for the removal of troubled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, thousands of highly armed soldiers were stationed in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday.
The island nation is going through a historic financial crisis, and its 22 million residents have been suffering since the year’s beginning from rampant inflation, protracted blackouts, shortages of fuel, and other basic necessities.
“An operation involving nearly 20,000 troops and policemen and women was launched this afternoon,” a top defence official told AFP. “We are hoping that tomorrow’s protest will not become violent.”
Demonstrators have been camping out in front of Rajapaksa’s office in Colombo for months, calling for his resignation due to economic incompetence.To help the police defending Rajapaksa’s official mansion, which anti-government protestors have pledged to raid on Saturday, soldiers with assault rifles were bussed into Colombo.
Conflicts broke out around the nation in May after Rajapaksa supporters attacked nonviolent protestors outside the president’s office, resulting in nine fatalities and hundreds more injuries.
The Sri Lankan government and the demonstrators were asked by the UN to make sure that Saturday’s marches went off without incident.
