Sri Lankan civil war
Also called: Sri Lankan ethnic conflict · Topic: Power-sharing: Majoritarianism versus Accommodation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Power-sharing"
Meaning
The Sri Lankan civil war (1983-2009) was an armed conflict between the Sri Lankan state and Tamil militants, mainly the LTTE led by V. Prabhakaran. Its roots lay in majoritarian policies such as the Sinhala Only Act 1956, preferences for Sinhalas in universities and jobs, and the repeated refusal of autonomy. It began after the "Black July" riots of 1983. It ended in May 2009 with the LTTE's military defeat.
Example
Thousands of people died during the war. Families fled as refugees, many of them to Tamil Nadu, and many lost their livelihoods. In 2011, a UN Panel of Experts raised concerns about civilian deaths. NCERT uses the war to show that refusing to share power undermines a country's unity.
Don't confuse with
- Lebanon's civil war (1975-90): it was fought between religious communities. It ended with the Taif Agreement (1989), a power-sharing deal, not with one side's military victory.