New Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a public address on Monday that there were no more foreign currencies in the country to pay for oil imports. “We only have supplies for one day.”
The head of government prepared the people for more hardship in the coming months. Sri Lanka, with a population of 22 million, has been in the midst of the worst economic crisis since independence from Great Britain in 1948. The decline in international tourism as a result of the corona epidemic is the main trigger for the crisis. The previous government was also accused of being involved in mismanagement.
Protests are on the rise
People have been taking to the streets for weeks against former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The protests escalated a week ago; At least nine people were killed and more than 225 were injured. Dozens of homes were set on fire. Rajapaksa resigned and Wickremesinghe took office on Thursday.
The new Prime Minister announces the “Economic War Cabinet”. On Sunday he spoke with representatives of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank about aid to his country.
(AFP)
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