Fighting in Sri Lanka is intensifying. The Tamil Tiger rebels have stepped up attacks on government facilities and the military is responding in kind. The result is an escalation of violence that continues to exact a horrifying toll on civilians. This often forgotten conflict shows no sign of exhausting itself. Tamil separatists have waged a bloody war for an independent homeland in the north in Sri Lanka since 1983.
The death toll from the quarter century of violence now exceeds 70,000. There were hopes that the two sides might be moving toward a settlement a few years ago, but those hopes have been extinguished. Fighting resumed in earnest last year and it is estimated that more than 5,000 lives have been lost since then.
The week before last, the Tamil Tigers air wing — aircraft cobbled together from light aircraft parts smuggled into the country — bombed a Sri Lanka air force base, the second such attack. At the same time, suicide fighters launched a ground assault on the base. The attack was the largest since the fighting began, and reportedly destroyed air aircraft; 14 soldiers and 21 rebels were reported killed.
The Tiger attack follows a series of government assaults on rebel strongholds, producing dozens of deaths on both sides. Last week, a government air force raid killed Tamil Tiger political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan.
It is clear that neither side is in better shape than the other. The government appeared to enjoy the initiative until the rebel assault on the base. There were hopes a few years ago that peace might have been in the offing, as international negotiators appeared to have made headway in their mediation. But those hopes have faded. With neither side showing any inclination to compromise, this battle is destined to continue.