President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he would step down on 13 July, according to an announcement made by the parliament’s speaker on Saturday.But the president has not been seen or made a public statement himself.
Military sources have told the BBC that he is currently on a Navy vessel in Sri Lankan waters.
His brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is on a naval base in the country, the sources say.
Thousands descended on Colombo on Saturday demanding his resignation after months of protests.
The president has been blamed for the country’s economic mismanagement, which has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine for months.
Current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also said he would step down following Saturday’s protests, in which his private residence was set on fire.
But protestors remain skeptical about the leaders’ intentions.Political leaders are due to hold further meetings to discuss a smooth transition of power on Sunday.The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that any new government needed to immediately focus on long-term economic stability.Dozens of people were injured in Saturday’s protests. A spokesperson for Colombo’s main hospital told the AFP news agency on Saturday that three people had been treated for gunshot wounds.The extraordinary events of Saturday appeared to be the culmination of months of mainly peaceful protests in Sri Lanka.Huge crowds converged on the official residence of the Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, chanting slogans and waving the national flag before breaking through the barricades and entering the property.Footage online showed people roaming through the house and swimming in the president’s pool, while others emptied out a chest of drawers, picked through the president’s belongings and used his luxurious bathroom.The contrast between the luxury of the palace and the months of hardship endured by the country’s 22 million people was not lost on the protesters.
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