Sri Lanka ends emergency after four months since Easter bombings

2024-07-07 15:11:41

Sri Lanka has ended a four-month state of emergency declared after Easter suicide bombings by Islamist extremists that killed 258 people, officials said Friday.

President Maithripala Sirisena imposed emergency law in April after more than 250 people were killed and 500 wounded in Islamist militant bombings across churches and luxury hotels on Easter day.

The President has been extending the emergency on the 22nd of each month since the April 21 attacks.

His office confirmed that Sirisena had not extended it for another term and thereby allowed the emergency to end on Thursday.

"The president did not issue a fresh proclamation extending the emergency by a further period," an official source said.

The official government printer also confirmed that there was no notification reimposing the state of emergency, which gives sweeping powers to police and security forces to arrest and detain suspects for long periods.

Almost all militants suspected to have links with the attackers have either been arrested or killed, Sirisena has previously said.

Monika Walker

Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.