COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s new prime minister claimed on Monday that the country was down to its last day of petrol, while the country’s power minister warned citizens not to join the long fuel lines that have sparked weeks of anti-government protests.

In a speech to the nation on Thursday, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed Prime Minister on Thursday, said the government urgently required $75 million in foreign money to pay for crucial imports.

“We only have enough petrol for one day at the present. The next several months will be the most challenging of our lives “he remarked.

“We must be willing to make some sacrifices and confront the challenges that this period will bring.”

He noted that two supplies of gasoline and two shipments of diesel utilising an Indian credit line could give assistance in the coming days, but the country is also short on 14 key medicines.

The problem sparked significant protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, culminating in his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation as Prime Minister last week after clashes between government supporters and demonstrators killed nine people and injured 300 more.