Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled to the Maldives on a military jet
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday. His departure infuriated protesters in Colombo, who rioted upon learning that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe – whom they also want driven from power – had been made acting leader.
Rajapaksa’s office announced in the early hours of the morning that the embattled president had made it out of the country on a military plane, a day after staff at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport had refused to stamp his passport for exit. He is believed to be traveling further onward to Dubai, and is set to officially resign later on Wednesday.
Although Wickremesinghe has been made acting president, protesters have demanded that he step down immediately to make way for a caretaker government, and, eventually, new elections.
Crowds of demonstrators stormed Wickremesinghe’s house, which they…