Sri Lanka Consulatela

News Updates Sri Lanka

Tamil rebel leader presumed dead, Sri Lankan army announces end of fighting

The founder and leader of the Tamil guerrilla was reportedly killed by the Sri Lankan army. Velupillai Prabhakaran is said to have been ambushed while trying to escape in an ambulance with two of his lieutenants. The Sri Lankan army has also announced that it controlled the entire island for the first time since the start of the civil war in 1983.

Yesterday, the Tamil guerrillas, whose last elements were entrenched in a tiny area of ​​500 square meters in the northeast of the island, announced that they were ceasing the fight, admitting their defeat. The Sri Lankan president is expected to announce tomorrow the official end of the conflict. In the final battle, civilians paid a heavy price, with perhaps 6,500 dead according to the United Nations. What arouse the indignation of Western countries. Several of them, including Great Britain, a former colonial power, said they were in favor of a war crimes investigation, targeting both the rebels and the army. Position taken which led to the demonstration of about a thousand people in front of the British diplomatic representation in Colombo. Gathering marked by a few stone throws on the facade of the building.