The embattled president of Sri Lanka was reportedly stranded in his own nation on Tuesday in a humiliating standoff with airport immigration officials who were preventing his escape to safety overseas. Following widespread protests against him over the nation's unparalleled economic crisis, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged to step down on Wednesday and pave the way for a "peaceful transition of power."

The 73-year-old leader wanted to travel to Dubai and left his official mansion in Colombo shortly before tens of thousands of demonstrators occupied it on Saturday, according to officials.

Rajapaksa is said to want to leave the country before resigning in order to avoid the risk of being arrested because he is immune from arrest in his capacity as president. However, immigration officials were refusing to stamp his passport in the VIP suite while he said he would not use the public restrooms out of fear of retaliation from other airport travellers.

After missing four planes that could have brought them to the United Arab Emirates, the president and his wife spent the night at a military base close to the main international airport.

The youngest brother of Rajapaksa and the former finance minister, missed his own early-morning Tuesday Emirates flight to Dubai due to a similar altercation with airport personnel.