Sri Lanka's PM resigns after protests over struggling economy

May 9 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned Monday amid pressure from persistent protests since March over the economy.

The sometimes violence protests over the country's spiraling economy sparked a curfew country-wide after fighting occurred between pro-government and anti-government groups in the capital of Colombo.

Sri Lanka, which won its independence from Britain in 1948, saw its food prices skyrocket while supplies of basic necessities like electricity, fuel and medicine dwindled. The island country's finance minister said its foreign exchange reserves also dipped to under $50 million.

It was not clear if the 76-year-old Rajapaksa's resignation would calm the protests and violence since his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 72, remained president, which is the most powerful position in the country.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa served as a defense official during Sri Lanka's bloody civil war that lasted 30 years. He was accused of human rights abuses before becoming president in 2019.

Armed troops were called into Colombo on Monday following protests that led to 151 people being treated at Colombo National Hospital.

Supporters of Rajapaksa attacked unarmed protesters who had been camping outside the President's office in downtown Colombo for a month. Demonstrators fought back by setting buses on fire, destroying the memorial built for the parents of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa along with their family home in Hambantota.

Authorities fired tear gas shells and water cannon and declared an immediate curfew in Colombo until 7 a.m. on Tuesday.