Sri Lankan Civil War Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Sri Lankan Civil War
ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සිවිල් යුද්ධය
இலங்கை உள்நாட்டுப் போர்

The area of Sri Lanka claimed by the LTTE as Tamil Eelam, where the vast majority of the fighting took place

Date	23 July 1983 – 18 May 2009 (25 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Sri Lanka
Result	Sri Lankan government victory Rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militarily defeated Sri Lankan government reestablishes control over entire island
Territorial changes	Government regains total control of former LTTE-controlled areas in the North and East of the country.

Belligerents

Sri Lanka

Indian Peace Keeping Force (1987–1990)

Tamil Tigers

Commanders and leaders

J. R. Jayawardene (1983–1989)
Ranasinghe Premadasa † (1989–1993)
D. B. Wijetunga (1993–1994)
Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994–2005)
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005–2009)

R. Venkataraman (1987–1989)

Rajiv Gandhi † (1987–1989)

V. Prabhakaran †

Balraj

Karuna Amman (1983–2004)

Mahattaya

Pottu Amman

Shankar †

Soosai †

Strength

Sri Lanka Armed Forces:
95,000 (2001)
118,000 (2002)
158,000 (2003)
151,000 (2004)
111,000 (2005)
150,900 (2006)
210,000 (2008)

Indian Peace Keeping Force:
100,000 (peak)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(excluding Auxiliary forces):
6,000 (2001)
7,000 (2003)
18,000 (2004)
11,000 (2005)
8,000 (2006)
7,000 (2007)
(including Auxiliary forces):
25,000 (2006)
30,000 (2008)

Casualties and losses

28,708 killed

40,107 wounded

1,200 killed

27,000+ killed
11,644 captured

80,000-100,000 killed overall (estimate)
800,000 displaced at peak in 2001

16 May 2009: Sri Lankan Government declared a military defeat of LTTE.
17 May 2009: LTTE admit defeat by Sri Lankan Government.
19 May 2009: President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially declares end of civil war in parliament.

Civilians being forced to leave their homes because of the fighting. January 2009.

The Sri Lankan Civil War was a war fought in the island of Sri Lanka. It started on 23 July 1983. There was an insurgency against the government by the terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (also called the Tamil Tigers). They are a separatist militant organisation which fought to create an independent state for Tamil people called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island.

The war lasted for 26 years. The Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.

Images for kids

Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur
Improvised armoured bulldozer used by the LTTE in the operation Aakaya Kadal Veli, also known as the First Battle of Elephant Pass (1991), one of the major battles. This bulldozer was destroyed by Cpl. Gamini Kularatne. Today it stands on display as a war memorial.
LTTE Sea Tiger boat patrolling during the peace
Red area shows the approximate areas of Sri Lanka controlled by the LTTE and the Government, as of December 2005.
Canadian Tamils block University Avenue, Toronto demonstrating against the Sri Lankan forces.
Shelter built from tarp and sticks. Pictured are displaced persons from the civil war in Sri Lanka
DFID-funded UN IDP camp near Vavuniya: the Menik Farm camp, June 2009
De-mining at Jaffna Fort in December 2019.

Sri Lankan Civil War facts for kids

Images for kids

See also