The Sri Lanka crisis has brought the country to a decisive point in history. With foreign debts already above 51 billion USD, inflation and shortages of essentials have caused protests to spread across the island. The Mayor of Colombo warned that the worsening condition of food reserves in the country indicates the end of supplies by September. The depleted foreign reserves, high inflation rate, and some other prominent factors have made people realize an even unbearable future. The once-prosperous nation declared bankruptcy en route to a deep recession.
Families Starve Due to Sri Lanka Crises
Inevitable depletion of food, fuel, and medicine is the major concern in the Sri Lanka crisis. 70% of families have already cut down on food since the beginning of 2022. Also, the public will soon be unable to get fuel and medicines. According to UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund), the country is on the verge of facing a humanitarian crisis. Families have claimed that the food prices went up by 80%, which is unaffordable by the majority. According to reports, a number of people queuing up for food has increased from 50 to 250 per day.
Factors Forcing Sri Lanka to Kneel Down
Multiple factors have contributed to putting Sri Lanka in this crucial situation. The major events include the Russia-Ukraine conflict that resulted in sky-high oil prices in the country, the Pandemic that ruined tourism, depleted foreign reserves, and inflation. The Sri Lankan public is blaming President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the Humanitarian crisis since he pushed through tax cuts and borrowed heavy funds from China for infrastructures.
Recently, Sri Lanka protests against economic crises got out of hand when they took the shape of a mob that burnt down the properties of ministers and government officials. The reports say that Sri Lanka might again witness an aggressive mob on the streets hooting for their rights.
UNICEF Trying to Turn the Tables Around
Christian Skoog, Unicef’s representative in Sri Lanka, commented on the Sri Lanka crisis and discussed resolving the issue. Skoog said malnutrition is becoming a significant concern in Sri Lanka as people cannot buy and eat meals since they are cutting down on necessities. The UNICEF representative also said that the organization is trying to avoid humanitarian crises and that actions should be taken sooner before children start to die due to malnutrition. The organization has requested aid to provide health care to children and treat those suffering from malnutrition.
