COLOMBO: Sri Lanka lifted a nationwidecurfew for 12 hours on Saturday, further easing tight curbs asnew Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sought to form agovernment after clashes with anti-government groups killed nine people.

More than a month of predominantly peaceful protests against the government turned violent this week after supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stormed an anti-government protest camp in the commercial capital Colombo, burning tents and clashing with protesters.

The initial clashes and reprisals against government figuresalso left more than 300 injured.

The government lifted the curfew from 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) onSaturday until 6 p.m. A 24-hour curfew imposed on Monday had been lifted for a few hours on Thursday and Friday to allow purchase of essential supplies.

Rajapaksa stepped down after violence flared on Monday,leaving his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa to rule on aspresident.

Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and tax cuts bythe populist government, Sri Lanka is in the throes of its worsteconomic crisis since independence from Great Britain in 1948.

Useable foreign reserves have dwindled, and rampantinflation and shortages of fuel have brought thousands onto thestreets in protest.

Wickremesinghe, a five-time prime minister, was appointed toanother term late on Thursday. The 73-year-old was expected tobegin appointing ministers before parliament reconvenes onTuesday.

Wickremesinghe is the sole lawmaker from his United NationalParty to hold a seat in parliament, and will be reliant on otherparties to form a coalition government. The Rajapaksas’ SriLanka Podujana Peramuna has pledged to support Wickremesinghe.

The main opposition has ruled out supporting him, butseveral smaller parties have said they would back policies bythe new prime minister to stabilise the economy.(Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Uditha Jayasinghe in Colombo;