[ad_1]
Some limited supplies of fuel and gas have resumed in parts of Sri Lanka after a weekend of violent anti-government riots over the country’s dire economic crisis.
Long queues formed today at supply points in communities in the capital Colombo, packed with crisis-weary residents.
The new supplies come as a long-awaited relief to the city after months of shortages of fuel, food and other basic items.
The current crisis is the worst in the country since its independence.
Inflation has caused a sharp rise in prices and the country’s foreign currency reserves appear to have run out, making it impossible to import food, fuel and medicine.
At the weekend tens of thousands of protesters stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence and set it on fire after months of protests over his government’s economic crisis.
The mobs also torched the residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, but neither leader was there at the time of the attacks.
Today hundreds of people were waiting for cooking gas vouchers upon arrival instead of a LPG delivery. Officials did not say where the ship was coming from.
A tuk-tuk driver told the BBC he had been queuing for fuel for three days, being replaced by his family members to maintain the vehicle.
Gayan Kalanda said he had to pay 2,500 rupees ($6.90) – about half of the day’s earnings – for just five liters of fuel.
“We are hungry, we do not feel safe in this country”, he said.
Both President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have said they are ready to resign but have not done so.
The protesters also say they are not leaving Rajapaksa’s palace until he resigns. Its location is unclear.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
