Police commandos stand guard at a barricade outside president's office in Colombo, Sri Lanka
(Picture: AP)Security forces in Sri Lanka have raided a protest camp occupying government grounds in Colombo early on Friday.
Footage showed soldiers in riot gear and armed with assault rifles making their way into the camp which was set up in April by protesters.
Nine people, including two who are injured, have been arrested.
It comes after President Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in following Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country and resigning, bringing an end to the political dynasty in Sri Lanka.
Police spokesperson Nalin Thalduwa told Reuters of the raid: “A joint operation involving the military, police and police special forces was launched in the early hours to recover the presidential secretariat from the protesters as they have no legal right to hold it.”
Protest organisers said hundreds of security personnel surrounded the “Gota Go Gama” protest camp after midnight and then took apart a section of it.
At least 50 protesters were injured, the organisers said, including some journalists.
Angry at the pre-dawn raids, hundreds of protesters marched from the city’s main railway station towards the Galle Face protest site.
They were held back by military and riot police manning barricades.
Sri Lanka has faced months of unrest and waves of protests in the lead up to Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Protesters storm Rajapaksa’s official residence and set the prime minister’s house on fire.
There has been uproar over the economic crisis that has left the 22 million population facing severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines.
