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| Eelam War II | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Eelam War II |
| Partof | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Date | 1990–1995 |
| Place | Northern Province, Eastern Province, Trincomalee, Jaffna Peninsula |
| Result | Stalemate leading to ceasefire; eventual resumption in Eelam War III |
| Combatant1 | Sri Lankan Armed Forces; People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) (alignment) |
| Combatant2 | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) |
| Commander1 | Ranasinghe Premadasa; Denzil Kobbekaduwa; Rohitha Bogollagama |
| Commander2 | Velupillai Prabhakaran |
| Strength1 | Estimates vary |
| Strength2 | Estimates vary |
Eelam War II was the second major phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces from 1990 to 1995, centered on the Northern Province and Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. The period saw intensified combat after breakdowns in negotiations involving President Ranasinghe Premadasa, intermittent sieges around Jaffna, and actions affecting strategic ports such as Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Political actors including Indian Peace Keeping Force, Tamil United Liberation Front, and diaspora organizations influenced the conflict dynamic.
The phase followed the collapse of accords and deployments connected to the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, with tensions also shaped by the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and shifts in policy under Ranasinghe Premadasa. Ethno-political grievances originating in the post-independence era involving the Sinhala Only Act, Standardization policy disputes, and state actions in the Black July 1983 period contributed to militant mobilization including the rise of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and rival groups like Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front and the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam. International attention from actors such as the United Nations and regional states including India and Pakistan intersected with local factionalism within the Tamil political sphere, involving figures from the Tamil United Liberation Front and emerging leaders aligned with the LTTE.
Operations began with LTTE offensives and counter-strikes by the Sri Lankan Army and the Sri Lanka Navy aiming to regain lost ground in Jaffna Peninsula and secure supply routes to Trincomalee Harbour and Kankesanthurai. Campaigns were influenced by command figures such as Denzil Kobbekaduwa and political decisions by Ranjan Wijeratne and Ranasinghe Premadasa, while LTTE tactics under Velupillai Prabhakaran emphasized guerrilla action, suicide attacks, and control of key towns like Vavuniya and Mannar. The period included sieges, ambushes on arterial roads such as the A9 road (Sri Lanka), and naval engagements involving the Sea Tigers, with periodic ceasefires, negotiations, and hardline crackdowns impacting tempo.
Significant operations included the LTTE capture and defense of forward positions around Jaffna Fort, the Battle of Pooneryn-style amphibious engagements, and major clashes near Elephant Pass and Mannar that affected control of the Jaffna Peninsula and inland access. Operations named and led by Sri Lankan commanders targeted LTTE strongholds in Vanni, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu, while LTTE attacks struck strategic infrastructure at Trincomalee Harbour and around Batticaloa, echoing earlier actions such as confrontations involving the Indian Peace Keeping Force. High-profile incidents included assassinations and explosions that involved figures tied to the Parliament of Sri Lanka, local municipal centers, and transport hubs.
The phase produced substantial casualties among combatants from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and high civilian tolls in urban centers such as Jaffna and Trincomalee. Displacement crises affected tens of thousands who sought refuge in camps managed by agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with humanitarian access contested by combatants. Incidents involving civilian deaths, destruction of cultural heritage sites like temples in the Northern Province, and interruptions to education institutions and hospitals prompted responses from international NGOs and rights organizations monitoring violations attributed to both LTTE tactics and security operations.
Domestic politics under Ranasinghe Premadasa and later administrations guided shifting approaches to negotiations, with peace initiatives intermittently involving mediators from India and observers from the United Nations. Tamil political parties including the Tamil United Liberation Front and emergent civil society actors sought political solutions even as the LTTE consolidated de facto control over territories. Legislative and executive actions in Colombo attempted to balance military responses with conditional talks, while diasporic lobbying in countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada pressured for ceasefires and humanitarian relief.
Regional powers including India reacted to the conflict through diplomatic engagement, covert and overt security considerations, and refugee policy, recalling lessons from the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. International organizations such as the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross criticized human rights abuses and called for access, while foreign governments including United States, United Kingdom, and Australia issued statements and adjusted aid and diplomatic stances. Arms transfers and external financing trends involved intermediaries in South Asia and raised scrutiny from international monitors and parliamentary inquiries in countries with substantial Tamil diasporas.
The period concluded with neither side achieving decisive strategic victory and set the stage for renewed campaigns culminating in later phases of the Sri Lankan Civil War, influencing subsequent operations often referred to in analyses of Eelam War III. The conflict shaped Sri Lanka’s security doctrine, civil-military relations, and post-war reconciliation debates involving commissions, truth-seeking efforts, and international scrutiny by bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council. Memories of the phase persist in diaspora politics, memorialization by groups in Tamil Nadu and global Tamil communities, and in scholarship addressing insurgency, counterinsurgency, and transitional justice.
Category:Sri Lankan Civil War Category:1990 in Sri Lanka Category:1991 in Sri Lanka Category:1992 in Sri Lanka Category:1993 in Sri Lanka Category:1994 in Sri Lanka Category:1995 in Sri Lanka