Crisis-hit Sri Lanka sends troops to fuel stations, aims to restructure debt

People stand in a long queue to buy kerosene oil for kerosene cookers amid a shortage of domestic gas due to country's economic crisis, at a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka March 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka posted soldiers at hundreds of state-run gas stations on Tuesday to help distribute fuel after a sudden rise in prices of key commodities and accompanying shortages forced tens of thousands of people to queue for hours.

The Indian Ocean nation is battling a foreign exchange crisis that forced a currency devaluation and hit payments for essential imports such as food, medicine and fuel, prompting it to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help.