An official reported that Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday after weeks of rallies demanding that he and his brother, the president, quit due to the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

An adviser to the prime minister, Wijayananda Herath, revealed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had received a resignation letter from Mahinda Rajapaksa. There was no official confirmation immediately available from the president's office.

The resignation follows the deployment of armed forces in the capital, Colombo, on Monday in response to an attack by government supporters on demonstrators camping outside the president's and prime minister's offices.

The island nation in the Indian Ocean is on the verge of insolvency and has frozen payments to its foreign creditors. Its economic difficulties have precipitated a political crisis, with the administration facing widespread protests and a vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives. On Monday, labor groups also called for a countrywide strike until the president and the rest of his family left office.

The prime minister's resignation resulted in the dissolution of the entire Cabinet.

Monday morning, supporters of the prime minister gathered in his office to urge him to disregard the protestors' call for his resignation. They then proceeded to the front of the office, where protestors had been demonstrating for several days. The television station Sirasa broadcast footage of government supporters beating demonstrators with clubs and iron bars, dismantling their tents, and then setting them on fire.

Hundreds of armed soldiers were stationed in the capital after the incident, as demonstrators accused police of failing to prevent the attack despite employing tear gas and water cannons on Friday.

TAs shown on Sirasa Television, the government politician Sanath Nishantha was among the government supporters who attacked the demonstrators,

Twenty-three persons with non-life-threatening injuries were admitted to the central hospital in Colombo; an official said on anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

The assault occurred as demonstrators marked their 31st day outside the offices of the president and prime minister, demanding that they and other key Rajapaksa family members resign. Protests of a similar nature have expanded to other cities around the nation, with protesters erecting camps in other cities.

Three of the remaining five Rajapaksa legislators resigned from their cabinet positions in April.

Sri Lankans have faced lengthy lineups with purchasing fuel, cooking gas, food, and medicine, most of which are imported, for several months. Inflation, which soared to 18.7 percent in March, has been exacerbated by shortages of hard currency, which have hampered imports of raw materials for manufacturing and worsened the inflation rate, which rose to 18.7 percent in March.

People obstructed major thoroughfares to demand gas and fuel. Sunday, the television broadcaster Hiru aired footage of gasoline disputes in certain regions.

This year, Sri Lanka must pay $7 billion of its $25 billion foreign debt obligation by 2026. The total amount of its foreign debt is $51 billion.

Earlier this week, Sri Lanka's finance minister reported that the country's usable foreign reserves have dropped below $50 million.

As a result of the escalating oil costs caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Sri Lanka is running out of fuel. Authorities have announced that nationwide blackouts will grow to approximately four per day due to a lack of energy for power-producing stations.

Since March, protesters have filled the streets, claiming that President Rajapaksa and his family, who have dominated practically every facet of Sri Lankan life for the last two decades, are responsible for the problem.

On Friday, President Rajapaksa announced a state of emergency, which gives him the authority to detain individuals, seize their property, and conduct a search. Additionally, he can alter or suspend any law in the interest of public safety and the maintenance of critical supplies. Diplomats and human rights organizations have voiced concern over the decision.

Sri Lanka has negotiated with the International Monetary Fund for an immediate funding facility and a long-term rescue plan. Still, it has been informed that its development would depend on debt restructuring negotiations with creditors.

To initiate any long-term plan would require at least six months.