Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Civil war victor brought down by protests

Graffiti written by anti-government faction is pictured at a house belonging to the former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's family, following violent clashes between pro and anti-government factions and police, in Weeraketiya, Sri Lanka, May 11, 2022. REUTERS/Alasdair Pal

(Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who oversaw a ruthless crushing of Tamil Tiger guerrillas to end a long-running civil war and went on to become president, had been due to step down on Wednesday to appease a population angry over several tumultuous months of economic and political crisis.

He chose to do so by fleeing the country.