Sri Lanka Lifts State Of Emergency Eight Months After Deadly Cyclone

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COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has officially lifted its nationwide state of emergency eight months after a catastrophic cyclone killed 643 people and decimated infrastructure.

Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced Wednesday that the extraordinary military powers, initially declared by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025, have officially been terminated.

The emergency laws had been extended monthly to deploy security forces for critical relief operations, clear vital transport networks, and prevent property looting across an estimated $4.1 billion in infrastructure damages.

The cyclone marked the island's worst natural disaster in two decades, striking just as Sri Lanka emerged from its severe 2022 economic crisis. While the main opposition bloc accused the government of utilizing the emergency laws to suppress political dissent a claim strongly denied by officials the country continues stabilizing under a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund bailout loan.