Sri Lanka has defaulted on its $51 billion exterior debt and has been in bailout talks with the IMF.

Colombo:

An indefinite curfew was imposed throughout Sri Lanka’s capital Friday and the navy positioned on alert forward of a deliberate rally demanding the ouster of embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Police chief Chandana Wickramaratne stated Colombo and its suburbs could be below a blanket curfew from 15:30 GMT till additional discover and urged residents to stay indoors.

The order got here as hundreds of anti-government protesters poured into the capital Friday forward of Saturday’s rally to stress Rajapaksa to stop over the nation’s worsening financial disaster.

The island nation is struggling via an unprecedented scarcity of necessities, and its 22 million individuals have endured runaway inflation and extended blackouts for the reason that begin of the yr.

Demonstrators have for months been camped outdoors Rajapaksa’s Colombo workplace to demand his resignation for financial mismanagement.

Thousands of troopers armed with assault rifles have been bussed into Colombo earlier within the day to strengthen police guarding Rajapaksa’s official residence, which anti-government protesters have vowed to storm on Saturday.

“An operation involving nearly 20,000 troops and policemen and women was launched this afternoon,” a prime defence official advised AFP. “We are hoping that tomorrow’s protest will not become violent.”

He stated extra troops have been introduced into the capital from the provinces after not less than three judges refused to outlaw Saturday’s protests.

The United Nations urged each the Sri Lankan authorities and the protesters to make sure that Saturday’s demonstrations went off peacefully.

“We urge Sri Lankan authorities to show restraint in the policing of assemblies and ensure every necessary effort to prevent violence,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated.

Nine individuals have been killed and tons of wounded when clashes erupted throughout the nation after Rajapaksa loyalists attacked peaceable protesters outdoors the president’s workplace in May.

Sri Lanka has defaulted on its $51 billion exterior debt and has been in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)