Sri Lanka Crisis: Sri Lankan-IMF talks set to end on May 24

The continuing talks between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Sri Lanka to assist alleviate the country’s economic woes will end on May 24.

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday at a virtual IMF briefing that technical discussions between Sri Lanka and the IMF on a potential loan package will conclude on May 24. He stated that the CIA is constantly monitoring events in the crisis-stricken island nation.

The IMF spokeswoman emphasized that the organization is still committed to assisting Sri Lanka and that it will assist in resolving the current economic crisis.

He went on to say that an IMF team was working on technical discussions about the authorities’ desire for an IMF-backed programme.

With food and fuel shortages, increasing prices, and power outages affecting a huge number of inhabitants, Sri Lanka is experiencing its greatest economic crisis since independence, resulting in enormous protests that ended in former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed earlier this week that Sri Lanka is one of the few countries that will go hungry this year owing to a global food crisis.

The newly appointed Prime Minister informed the Sri Lankan Parliament stated that, “The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has identified a number of countries, including Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, that are likely to die hungry.”

“Even in Colombo City, Sri Lanka will have to prepare for a food crisis by cultivating food crops on abandoned land. Many sites owned by the Railways Department are underutilized and might be used to grow food. I’ll speak with the World Bank about getting some help “he added.