War returns to Sri Lanka
Thursday, 03 Jan 2008 13:15
Violence in Sri Lanka is expected to rise dramatically
Violence broke out in sporadic bursts across Sri Lanka after the
Asian country's government ended a five-year ceasefire with rebels yesterday.
The separatist Tamil Tigers have challenged the terms of their ceasefire with the government for the last two years with a series of terrorist attacks, forcing Colombo to abandon its pursuit of a peaceful solution to the conflict.
A spokesperson said the ceasefire had become irrelevant, claiming it had been broken 10,000 times. Analysts say the move frees up both sides to engage in hostilities which have previously been restrained, a view echoed by the Norwegian peacekeepers who had negotiated the 2002 deal.
Norway's environment and international development minister Erik Solheim described the government's decision as a "serious step".
"This comes on top of the increasingly frequent and brutal acts of violence perpetrated by both parties… I am deeply concerned that the violence and hostilities will now escalate even further," he said.
Initial violence appeared to vindicate his concerns. Four people including two children were killed when a claymore mine exploded in the North Central region, while the AFP news agency reported 11 Tamil Tigers militants had been killed in an attack in the northern Jaffna region.
"One thing is certain, there'll be more confrontations. There'll be more violence now," defence analyst Iqbal Athas told the Reuters news agency.
"The government perceives it to be end-game ... It will be the most intense period of war Sri Lanka has seen."
Over 70,000 people have died in the conflict so far.