From Idi Amin to Rajapaksa: Saudi Arabia is the choice for ousted leaders
- Ancy Irin
- Jul 15, 2022
- 1 min read
Sri Lanka’s beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa may be on his way to Saudi Arabia, according to reports, which, if confirmed, would add him to an uncomfortable list of fallen leaders forced to seek asylum in the kingdom.
Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, following remarkable scenes that saw protesters entering the presidential and prime ministerial estates, swimming in pools and taking selfies lounging on luxurious furniture.
The president confirmed his resignation after he and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesing were widely blamed with economic mismanagement that has led to skyrocketing costs and shortages of essentials.
Rajapaska flew on a Saudi airlines flight to Singapore on Thursday, according to a report in the Associated Press.
The AP quoted a Maldives official as saying that he was heading to Jeddah, but the official later said he could no longer confirm it.
If his final destination is the Saudi coastal city, Rajapaksa would join an unenviable list of toppled rulers fleeing to the Gulf kingdom, either as a quiet retirement home or a pit stop on the path back to power.
From offering sanctuary to brutal Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin in the 1980s and a string of Pakistani leaders in the 2000s, to welcoming Tunisian and Yemeni rulers following the Arab Spring uprisings, Saudi Arabia has often been a home away from home for the overthrown, the disgraced and the embattled.
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