30 November 1984
Sinhala border settlements
The long road
From first sparks
to lasting silence.
Key moments in a conflict that unfolded across the Northern, Eastern, and later Central Provinces of Sri Lanka.
1976
The conflict takes shape
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerge from a period of rising ethnic tension and political violence in the north and east.
1983
Black July & escalation
The ambush in Jaffna and the anti-Tamil violence that followed mark a devastating escalation. The conflict spreads and a long civil war begins.
1987
A regional intervention
The Indo–Sri Lanka Accord leads to the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), adding a new and complex chapter to the war.
1990
War widens
After the IPKF withdrawal, fighting intensifies across the Northern and Eastern Provinces, affecting families and communities throughout the island.
1995
Jaffna falls
The Sri Lanka Army recaptures the Jaffna Peninsula in Operation Riviresa, one of the conflict’s defining military campaigns.
2002
A fragile ceasefire
The Government and LTTE sign a Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement. Four years of uneasy calm follow.
2006–09
The final offensive
A series of military operations pushes the LTTE from the Eastern Province and then northward, ending organised armed conflict in May 2009.