Sri Lanka Consulatela

News Updates Sri Lanka

Tamil rebels on the brink of capitulation

It’s jubilation in the capital of Sri Lanka. Part of the population is savoring the near end of 37 years of a bloody conflict with the Tamil rebellion. The most irreducible Tigers, surrounded by the Sri Lankan army in a coastal area of ​​barely a few km2, preferred to stop fighting.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa purposely cut short a trip to the Middle East to return to Colombo, and celebrate what is very good news for him. He declared all-out war against the Tamil rebels three years ago. The Tamil Tigers may even have lost their historic leader. Velupillai Prabhakaran had founded this formidable guerrilla in 1972. A body which could be his was found in a bunker. The situation remains unclear for civilians caught in the crossfire in the combat zone. The Sri Lankan army says more than 50,000 of them have been evacuated in recent days. But rebels say thousands of civilians have been slaughtered.