Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war

In May 2009, Sri Lanka’s long civil war came to an end, with the decisive military defeat of the Tamil Tigers (also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE). Since then, President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Sri Lankan Freedom Party-led government have both secured re-election and consolidated their political ascendancy. Critics accuse the government of growing authoritarianism, with the judiciary, media and human rights advocates under attack. The authorities claim that major steps have been taken towards consolidating security and reconstructing the war-torn areas of the country, the north and east. Others argue that the record is much more mixed and that there remains a real prospect of renewed conflict in the medium- to long-term, not least because the government refuses to take steps to introduce devolved political arrangements that might benefit Tamil political groupings in the north and east of the country that previously supported a separate state. The north effectively remains under military control.

Sri Lanka’s relationship with the rest of the world has been strongly shaped since May 2009 by allegations the army committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the final phase of the civil war. A UN Panel of Experts reported in April 2011 that that there were “credible allegations” of war crimes and crimes against humanity by both government and Tamil Tiger forces. The Sri Lankan government established a ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC), which published its final report in December 2011. The report has been criticised as inadequate, in particular because it has not encouraged meaningful action to bring perpetrators to justice. In March 2012, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution critical of the government and there remains a possibility that an international commission of inquiry might ultimately be established. The EU has blocked Sri Lanka’s access to preferential trade arrangements to signal its dissatisfaction with the Sri Lankan government’s human rights record. However, the Commonwealth has controversially agreed that Sri Lanka will host its next summit in 2013. The UK has not yet confirmed its attendance.