The Tamil Tigers' war ends in a bloodbath

A costly peace in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan authorities declared the end of a civil war with the Tamils minority that dominated the last thirty years of national history. Yet, the end has come with a shockingly high cost in term of human lives on both sides, and nobody can affirm with certainty whether this was the Tigers' last act


By FABRIZIO COLIMBERTI
from Palermo, ITALY


War seems to be over in Sri Lanka. After a 26 years of old conflict, the Colombo government restored its hegemony on the whole territory of the island. In front of the Parliament, on May 16, President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced victory over the insurgents of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE, more commonly known as Tamil Tigers. The end of hostilities came through a massive deployment of troops and the bloodbath of an undefined number of civilians. Despite the end of the military campaign, peace, democracy and reconciliation are at a standstill in Sri Lanka.

War on War

The never-ending civil war has been ruthless. Civilians' casualties since the start of hostilities in 1983 resulted in tens of thousands. The Tigers, that want to military represent the Tamil minority of the North and Eastern regions of the island, were widely considered as extraordinarily violent, and indifferent to the civilians victims of the insurgence that they have been conducting for so many years. Their merciless conduct, that included suicide bombings, high-profile political murders and child soldiers, was always very present to the same Tamil minority.

The national government has not used different manners either: ever since the national government officially ripped the cease fire agreement and launched its final assault on the rebels, troops have been using air raids and heavy weapon in forcing the Tigers to defeat. During these last months of war, thousands of civilians were caught between the two armies.

President Rajapaksa and his cabinet spelled the war as 'humanitarian'. NGOs and humanitarian actors such as The International Committee of the Red Cross have been prevented from operating in all afflicted territories on the island and restricted in their work in government camps, where thousands of Tamil civilians still lie in inhuman conditions, needing better medical aid, food and basic commodities.

In this regard, the attention of foreign media and the international community has been constantly growing since last January. Incapable of accessing the conflict-afflicted zones because of the reluctance of the authorities, the death toll estimated by foreign organizations and representatives is likely to remain uncertain for years. Anyone diffusing numbers and information on the crisis has been locked up in jail, including three foreign doctors.

At the end of May, UN sources reported by The Times claimed that up to 1,000 fighters were killed in the last weeks. In an attempt to stop the circulating estimate of 20,000 civilians killed, Rajiva Wijesinha, permanent secretary in Sri Lanka's Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, told The Guardian that between 3,000 and 5,000 civilians were killed in these last days of war, blaming it on the fact that "The Tigers had prepared this hostage situation and the figures went up very badly". As WAVE magazine is being published, speculation on the definitive number of deaths remains high.

Healing the Wounds

The end of the conflict seemed real to everyone when, on May 17, the government announced the death of LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran. A mysterious and charismatic figure, he is not the only prominent leader of the rebellion who died during these last months of war, as the political branch of the guerrilla was hurt during the military assaults and operations.

As a consequence, a political vacuum is afflicting the insurgents and on the outside it is yet unclear who would be the senior official still alive to come in charge of the struggle. Tamils websites indicate Pottu Amman, Chief of Intelligence, to be next in line after the late Prabhakaran. Given the importance of such blow, nationally and abroad, it seems difficult for the Tigers to maintain military operations; for about thirty years, Prabhakaran himself represented the conflict, in particular for those conspicuous Tamil donors abroad.

What is really at stake for Sri Lanka, at this point, is its future. A peace process is uneasy. Within days from announcing its victory, the government confirmed the state of emergency that increases its security powers up to a point where the police can freely seize private homes and detain civilian suspects in jail up to 18 months without trial.

Yet, the world and about 800,000 Sri Lankan Tamils that were scattered abroad in the last 25 years of conflict, await a reconciliation process between the Sinhalese majority and the 3 million Tamils still living inside the national borders. Political autonomy and non-abusive military and security forces are among their biggest concern. Short and long-term aiding and reconstruction assistance for the hundreds of thousands that are suffering in refugee camps is the most immediate problems. Understanding if and how these problems will be addressed will probably mean how soon Tigers will fight again.


(Published: 20.06.2009.)