Sri Lanka asks IMF for rapid financial assistance


A man carries a sack of garlic at the Pettah Market, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 18, 2022. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

(Reuters) - Sri Lanka has requested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for rapid financial assistance and the global lender could consider it after initial reluctance, an aide to the country's finance minister said on Tuesday.

Protests have erupted in the island nation as it battles a devastating financial crisis brought by the effects of COVID-19, mismanaged government finances and rising prices of fuel that have sapped foreign reserves.

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