Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives after protests

Following mass protests, Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives overnight.

He arrived in Male around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT) and is thought to be on his way to another country.

It is unclear where he is going, but there are rumours that it could be Singapore or Dubai. In his absence, he has appointed an ally, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as acting president.

The Speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament has stated that President Rajapaksa is expected to hand over his resignation letter.

He went into hiding after protesters took over his office and home on Saturday.

It will put an end to the family’s rule that has dominated politics for the last two decades.

His brother also fled Sri Lanka and is reportedly on his way to the United States.