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Witness History: The final days of Sri Lanka's civil war

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The final days of Sri Lanka's civil war

15/05/2019 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The final days of Sri Lanka's civil war

How the army finally crushed Tamil Tiger rebels after 25 years of bloody civil war

Thousands of civilians were trapped alongside Tamil Tiger rebels as the army closed in; but by May 2009 the 25-year-old conflict was finally over.

In May 2009 the Sri Lankan army finally crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, ending 25 years of bloody civil war. In the final weeks of the conflict, thousands of civilians were trapped alongside the rebels under heavy shelling as the government forces closed in. Journalists and aid workers were prevented from reaching the war zone. Mike Lanchin has been hearing from one Tamil woman trapped in the siege zone, and from the former UN spokesman in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss, who watched on from the capital Colombo as the fighting came to an end.

Photo: Tamil civilians standing on the roadside after crossing to a government-controlled area 2kms from the front-line (Getty Images)

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