Knowra Sri Lankan Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War An armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fought from 1983 until the LTTE’s military defeat in 2009.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam : A separatist militant organization that sought an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE was the government’s principal armed opponent and the conflict’s defining insurgent force.
Sri Lankan Tamils : An ethnic group native to northern and eastern Sri Lanka, with a distinct Tamil language and cultural tradition. Their political status and security were central to Tamil nationalist mobilization.
Velupillai Prabhakaran : The founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from its formation until his death in 2009. His leadership shaped LTTE strategy, organization, and refusal to abandon separatism.
Civilian casualties in the Sri Lankan Civil War : Deaths and injuries among noncombatants during the Sri Lankan Civil War, especially during its final months. The scale and circumstances of civilian deaths remain central to disputes over the war’s conduct.
Black July : Anti-Tamil pogroms in Sri Lanka in July 1983, marked by killings, arson, and mass displacement. The violence intensified Tamil militancy and is widely treated as the war’s immediate beginning.
Sinhala Only Act : Sri Lanka’s 1956 law making Sinhala the sole official language, replacing English in government administration. The law deepened Tamil grievances over access to public employment and equal recognition.
Mahinda Rajapaksa : Sri Lankan president from 2005 to 2015, whose government defeated the LTTE in 2009. His administration expanded the military campaign that ended the LTTE’s territorial rule.
Internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka : People forced from their homes by conflict or disaster who remain within Sri Lanka’s borders. Military operations and the war’s aftermath displaced large numbers of civilians.
Eelam War I : The first major phase of fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, lasting from 1983 to 1987. Its insurgency and counterinsurgency established patterns that shaped later phases.
Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka : A political movement seeking recognition, rights, and self-determination for Sri Lankan Tamils. Its changing goals ranged from federal autonomy to the LTTE’s demand for a separate state.
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