NEW DELHI, May 10. /TASS/. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense has ordered to open fire on rioters to stop the unrest that has swept across the island nation, the Adaderana news portal reported.

According to the report, the Ministry of Defense has ordered the Armed Forces to open fire on those involved in looting public property or causing physical harm to others.

The order comes after the crowds of protesters, despite the introduction of a nationwide curfew, continued to destroy public and private property in a number of the country’s areas. The houses belonging to some politicians of the ruling party were damaged or burnt. Large-scale clashes between supporters and opponents of the government continued over the past two days.

On Monday, in the wake of mass protests Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down, but this did not calm the public. The prime minister’s residence and some houses of ministers and lawmakers were set on fire. At least five people were killed and more than 200 others were injured in the clashes.

Since early April, Sri Lanka has been hit by protests against the deteriorating living conditions, the lack of fuel, food and essentials. Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. It resulted from a contraction of foreign tourism due to the pandemic, which led to the shortage of foreign currency reserves in the country. In this environment the authorities were forced to cut imports and introduce tight resource saving. The country’s external debt, which totals $51 bln, hinders Sri Lanka from making external borrowings and struggling against the economic crisis.