A nationwide state of emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka as a result of anti-Muslim riots that have killed at least two people in recent days.
Many dozens of mosques and homes were damaged on Monday night as crowds rampaged through cities. It is feared that the violence could spread.
This outbreak of violence comes after the death of a Sinhalese man believed to have been killed by a group of Muslims. There have been growing tensions between the groups across the last year and tensions are now high.
A Government spokesperson said “At a special cabinet meeting, it was decided to declare a state of emergency for 10 days to prevent the spread of communal riots.”
This is not the first time there has been violence in Sri Lanka in recent years. In 2014, violence between Buddhists and Muslims killed four people.
