Sri Lanka declares state of emergency as president flees country
The Guardian: As Sri Lanka declares state of emergency, protests break out across Colombo demanding Maldives-bound Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down immediately.
The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has fled to the Maldives on a military jet hours before he was due to resign on Wednesday, following days of extraordinary scenes including his presidential palace and office being taken over by anti-government protesters.
Following his departure, the prime minister’s office said a state of emergency had been declared as protesters continued to try to storm government offices.
The airforce confirmed that Rajapaksa, his wife and two security guards boarded a military aircraft in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after he invoked executive powers to enable his escape.
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