Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa heads to Saudi Arabia via Singapore: Report

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is headed to Saudi Arabia via Singapore, the Associated Press reported, citing unnamed Maldives officials.

The leader missed a Wednesday deadline to submit his resignation after he fled the country for the Maldives as months of inflation-fueled protests gained momentum. Rajapaksa is taking a Saudi Arabian airline, the AP added without any other details.

The developments have left a power vacuum in Rajapaksa’s wake as demonstrators continued to push for new leadership and have stormed and occupied the president and prime minister’s offices and residences.

They are now up against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was made acting president and earlier imposed as state of emergency from Wednesday. Wickremesinghe said he formed a committee including the police and military chiefs to de-escalate the situation, while reiterating that parliament will choose a new president on July 20.