Jul 22, 2022 - World

Sri Lanka security forces raid protest camp as new president takes office

Members of Sri Lankan security forces patrol the Presidential Secretariat on July 22, 2022 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan security forces patrol the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday. Photo: Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images

Sri Lankan security forces raided a Colombo anti-government protest camp outside the president's office and evicted demonstrators early on Friday, multiple images from the scene show.

Why it matters: The crackdown came hours after former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president. A fixture of Sri Lanka's establishment, he is deeply distrusted by protesters who brought down his predecessor after months of demonstrations over the country's economic crisis, per Axios' Dave Lawler.

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