Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday agreed to step down from his post hours after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in the capital of Colombo, forcing him to flee to an unknown location.
Rajapaksa has informed that he will resign from the Presidency on July 13, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in a press conference on Saturday, according to Sri Lanka’s news outlet Newswire.
Protests by thousands rocked Colombo yesterday. Crowds tore through the barricades surrounding Rajapaksa’s residence, climbed over the fence and took control of the area.
Dramatic visuals from outside Rajapakse’s residence showed a sea of demonstrators storming into the compound, tearing down security cordons placed by police, taking a dip in the swimming pool and romping through his kitchen and home.
Here are some pictures that sum up the chaos in Sri Lanka:
Demonstrators protest inside the President’s House premises after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled.
A demonstrator poses for a photograph after entering the President’s House during a protest, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his home.
A demonstrator throws back a tear gas grenade towards police personnel as police use tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators near President’s residence during a protest demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Police use water cannons to disperse demonstrators near President’s residence during a protest demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
A demonstrator carries an injured woman near President’s residence after riot police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators during a protest demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Demonstrators protest inside the Presidential Secretariat premises after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled.
