CNN International

Sri Lanka's President leaves the country after mass protests forced him to resign

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left the country, according to a high ranking security official, shortly before he was due to formally step down.

Rajapaksa and his wife flew to Malé, in the Maldives, on an AN32 troop transport plane from the Sri Lanka Air Force, the official said.

Local air traffic control refused the plane's request to land until an intervention by the Speaker of Maldivian Parliament Majlis and former President, Mohamed Nasheed, according to the official. CNN has reached out to Nasheed for comment.

www.tgoop.com/CNNInt/17821

390 viewsJul 13, 2022 at 06:00

Sri Lanka's President leaves the country after mass protests forced him to resign

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left the country, according to a high ranking security official, shortly before he was due to formally step down.

Rajapaksa and his wife flew to Malé, in the Maldives, on an AN32 troop transport plane from the Sri Lanka Air Force, the official said.

Local air traffic control refused the plane's request to land until an intervention by the Speaker of Maldivian Parliament Majlis and former President, Mohamed Nasheed, according to the official. CNN has reached out to Nasheed for comment.

BY CNN International