Authorities said Sunday that Sri Lankan soldiers opened fire on a gas station to quell the unrest, injuring seven people, three soldiers and four civilians as drivers queued for hours for fuel.
The accidents took place in Fusuwamadu, 365 kilometers north of the capital Colombo, on Saturday evening when the stones hit the military guard zone, army spokesman Nilanta Primratne said. “A group of 20-30 people threw stones and damaged a military truck,” Primeratny told AFP. Police said four civilians and three soldiers were injured when the military first opened fire to quell riots related to the deepening economic crisis. She added that when the station ran out of fuel, motorists began to protest, and the situation escalated into a clash with the army.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 and has been unable to finance imports of basic commodities such as food, medicine and fuel since late last year. The country has also faced record inflation and power outages, sometimes sparking violent protests calling for President Gotabay Rajapaksa to step down. Sri Lanka has placed police and military forces in front of gas stations.
In April, police were looking for a motorist in Rambucan, in the center of the country, during a clash involving a controlled distribution of petrol.
Police say clashes between police and motorists occurred at three locations over the weekend, injuring at least six law enforcement officers and arresting seven drivers. On Friday, the Sri Lankan authorities announced the closure of government offices and schools for a period of two weeks, with public transport almost completely stopped due to the state’s inability to import fuel due to a lack of hard currency. Thousands of pregnant women in Sri Lanka began receiving food aid on Thursday as part of the United Nations’ emergency plan to respond to the island’s unprecedented economic crisis.
The World Food Program is trying to raise $60 million in food aid between June and December. Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.
