Sri Lankan prime minister says he is willing to resign
From Rukshana Rizwie and Iqbal Athas in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during an interview in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 11. (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he is willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over, the prime minister's office said Saturday.
The statement comes after a meeting of party leaders, held by Sri Lanka's parliament speaker, agreed to ask both the president and prime minister to resign per an "overwhelming request," Sri Lankan MP Rauff Hakeem tweeted on Saturday.
The prime minister's office said: "So as to ensure safety of the citizens, he is agreeable to this recommendation by the opposition party leaders."
The decision also comes as fuel distribution is due to recommence this week, when the World Food Programme Director is also set to visit the country, and ahead of a debt sustainability report for the International Monetary Fund, the prime minister's office added.
9:41 a.m. ET, July 9, 2022
Protesters breach official residence of Sri Lankan Prime Minister
From Rukshana Rizwie in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Demonstrators protest inside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka on July 9. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)
Protesters have breached the official residence of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, known as Temple Trees, according to local media.
Video of protesters entering the gates to the residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe circulated on social media on Saturday.
Wickremesinghe had been earlier moved to a secure location, his office confirmed.
Some background: Protesters have also broken into the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo. Video broadcast on Sri Lankan television and on social media showed protesters enter President's House -- Rajapaksa's office and residence in the commercial capital -- after breaking through security cordons placed by police.
Images show demonstrators inside the building and hanging banners from the balcony, as well as swimming in the residence's pool.
9:41 a.m. ET, July 9, 2022
Problems mount for a "bankrupt" nation
From CNN's Iqbal Athas, Chris Liakos, Rhea Mogul and Daniela Gonzalez-Roman
Protesters gather inside the premises of the Presidential Secretariat to demand the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on July 9, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Pradeep Dambarage/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Sri Lanka is "bankrupt," Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, as the country suffers its worst financial crisis in decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine and fuel.
Earlier this week, Wickremesinghe told lawmakers that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive the country's "collapsed" economy are "difficult," because the South Asian nation of 22 million has entered the talks as a bankrupt country, rather than a developing one.
"We are now participating in the negotiations as a bankrupt country. Therefore, we have to face a more difficult and complicated situation than previous negotiations," Wickremesinghe said Tuesday in parliament.
"Due to the state of bankruptcy our country is in, we have to submit a plan on our debt sustainability to (the IMF) separately," he added. "Only when they are satisfied with that plan can we reach an agreement at the staff level. This is not a straightforward process."
Police use tear gas to disperse university students who were demanding the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on July 8, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Pradeep Dambarage/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Protesters broke into the Sri Lankan leader's official residence in Colombo on Saturday as more than 100,000 amassed outside, according to police, calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign over his handling of the country's economic crisis.
Protesters enter presidential residence: Video broadcast on Sri Lankan television and on social media showed protesters enter President's House -- Rajapaksa's office and residence in the commercial capital -- after breaking through security cordons placed by police.
Rajapaksa is not at the site and has been moved elsewhere, security officials told CNN. It is unclear how many security personnel are present at the location.
Images from Colombo paint a chaotic scene, with pictures showing demonstrators running from tear gas, and clashing with police in body armor.
What sparked the protests? The South Asian nation is suffering its worst financial crisis in recent history, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine and fuel.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent months, calling for the country's leaders to resign over accusations of economic mismanagement.
Schools have been suspended and fuel has been limited to essential services. Patients are unable to travel to hospitals due to the fuel shortage and food prices are soaring.
Trains have reduced in frequency, forcing travelers to squeeze into compartments and even sit precariously on top of them as they commute to work.
In several major cities, including Colombo, hundreds are forced to queue for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military as they wait.
