Casualties of the Sri Lankan civil war

The war was waged for over a quarter of a century, with an estimated 70,000 killed by 2007.[1][2][3] Immediately following the end of war, on 20 May 2009, the UN estimated a total of 80,000–100,000 deaths.[4][5] However, in 2011, referring to the final phase of the war in 2009, the Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka stated, "A number of credible sources have estimated that there could have been as many as 40,000 civilian deaths."[6] The large majority of these civilian deaths in the final phase of the war were said to have been caused by indiscriminate shelling of a formerly designated 'No Fire Zone' by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.[7][8]

The "Tamil Centre for Human Rights" recorded that from 1983 to 2004, 54,053 Tamil civilians were killed during the war and another 25,266 were made to disappeared but never found again.[9] According to ITJP (International Truth and Justice Project, which was established 2013 to promote justice and accountability in Sri Lanka and headed by Yasmin Sooka), 169,796 civilians disappeared between January to May 2009 in the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts.[10] Another organization called NESOHR published that from the beginning of the war to the 2002 ceasefire, 4000 to 5000 Tamil civilians were killed in large scale massacres, with a total civilian death of around 40,000.[11] Multiple media sources also quoted an estimated 70,000 killed by 2007.[1][2][3]

Civilian casualties that occurred on 2009 is of major controversy, as there were no organizations to record the events during the final months of the war. The Sri Lankan government claimed that 9,000 people were killed in the final months of the war, but it did not differentiate between LTTE cadres and civilians.[12] The UN, based on credible witness evidence from aid agencies and civilians evacuated from the Safe Zone by sea, estimated that 6,500 civilians were killed and another 14,000 injured between mid-January 2009, when the Safe Zone was first declared, and mid-April 2009.[13][14] There are no official casualty figures after this period but estimates of the death toll for the final four months of the civil war (mid-January to mid-May) range from 15,000 to 75,000, most of the deaths being a result of government shelling.[15][16][17] A US State Department report has suggested that the actual casualty figures were probably much higher than the UN's estimates and that significant numbers of casualties weren't recorded.[18] A former UN official has claimed that up to 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the civil war.[19] Several human rights groups have even claimed that the death toll in the last months of the war could be 70,000.

The Sri Lankan government has denied all claims of causing mass casualties against Tamils, arguing that it was "taking care not to harm civilians". Instead, it has blamed the LTTE for the high casualty numbers, stating that they used the civilians as human shields.[20] According to the UN Panel Report, LTTE used civilians as hostages and the LTTE's refusal to allow civilians leave the area added significantly to the total death toll in the conflict. The UN Panel Report further states that LTTE instituted a policy of shooting civilians who attempted to escape the conflict zone, significantly adding to the death toll in the final stages of the war.[7] Both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE have been accused by the U.N for war crimes during the last phase of the war.

While the majority of civilian deaths were that of the Tamil minority, the war also took many Sinhalese and Muslim lives. The LTTE were estimated to be responsible for 3,700 to 4,100 civilian deaths in over 200 separate attacks.[21] However, this figure only accounts for those killed in open attacks. Rajan Hoole, a human rights activist claims that various dissident sources allege that the number of Tamil dissenters and prisoners from rival armed groups clandestinely killed by the LTTE in detention or otherwise ranges from 8,000 - 20,000,[22] although he later stated that western agencies dismissed his figures as exaggeration.[23] In response to the killings of Sinhalese and Muslims, LTTE leader Prabhakaran denied allegations of killing civilians, claiming to condemn such acts of violence; and claimed that LTTE had instead attacked armed home guards who were "death-squads let loose on Tamil civilians" and Sinhalese settlers who were "brought to the Tamil areas to forcibly occupy the land." Amnesty International has noted that in several massacres of Sinhalese and Muslims, the victims had not been home guards or armed settlers.[24] Human Rights Watch has noted that LTTE had engaged in "ethnic cleansing" of Sinhalese and Muslim villagers.[25]

Around 27,000 LTTE cadres, 28,708 Sri Lankan military personnel,[26] 1000+ Sri Lankan police, 1,165 Indian soldiers were said to have died in the conflict. Another 5,000 Sri Lankan military members went missing in action.[27] In 2008, the LTTE revealed that "22,390 fighters who have lost their lives in the armed struggle since 27 November 1982".[28] Minister of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said on an interview with state television that 23,790 Sri Lankan military personnel were killed since 1981 (it was not specified if police or other non armed forces personnel were included in this particular figure). The Uppsala Conflict Data Program, a university-based data collection program considered to be "one of the most accurate and well-used data-sources on global armed conflicts"[29] provides free data to the public and has divided Sri Lanka's conflicts into groups based on the actors involved. It collectively reported that between 1990 and 2009 between 59,193 and 75,601[30] people were killed in Sri Lanka during various three types of organized armed conflict: "State-based" conflicts, those that involved the Government of Sri Lanka against rebel groups(LTTE and the JVP), "Non-state" conflicts, those conflicts that did not involve the government of Sri Lanka (e.g. LTTE vs. LTTE-Karuna Faction, and LTTE vs. PLOTE), as well as "One-sided" violence, that involved deliberate attacks against civilians perpetrated by the Government of Sri Lanka.[31]

Summary

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Minister of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said on an interview with state television that 23,790 Sri Lankan military personnel were killed since 1981 (it was not specified if police or other non armed forces personnel were included in this particular figure).

From the August 2006 recapture of the Mavil Aru reservoir until the formal declaration of the cessation of hostilities (on 18 May), 6261 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and 29,551 were wounded.[32]

The Sri Lankan military estimates that up to 22,000 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in the last three years of the conflict.[33]

The final five months of the civil war saw the heaviest civilian casualties. The UN, based on credible witness evidence from aid agencies and civilians evacuated from the Safe Zone by sea, estimated that 6,500 civilians were killed and another 14,000 injured between mid-January 2009, when the Safe Zone was first declared, and mid-April 2009.[13][14] There are no official casualty figures after this period but estimates of the death toll for the final four months of the civil war (mid-January to mid-May) range from 15,000 to 20,000.[15][16] A US State Department report has suggested that the actual casualty figures were probably much higher than the UN's estimates and that significant numbers of casualties weren't recorded.[18] A former UN official has claimed that up to 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the civil war.[19]

The Tamil Center for Human Rights claims 12,104 Tamil women had been raped between 1983 and 2004 throughout the war.[34]

Casualties

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War or Phase Date Deaths Total dead Wounded Total wounded Sources/
notes
combat other total combat other total
C SF TT C SF TT C SF TT C SF TT C SF TT C SF TT
Eelam War I 1983 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
1984
1985
1986
Eelam War I/Indian intervention 1987
1988
1989
Indian intervention
/Eelam War II
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
Eelam War II/Eelam War III 1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 162 784 2,845 [35]
2001 89 412 1,321 [35]
2002 Ceasefire 2002 14 1 0 [35]
2003 31 2 26 [35]
2004 33 7 69 [35]
2005 153 90 87 [35]
2002 Ceasefire/Eelam War IV 2006 981 826 2,319 [35]
2007 525 499 3,345 [35]
2008 404 1,314 9,426 [35]
2009 11,108 1,312 2,941 [35]
Total ≈26 years 13,500 5,247 22,379 23,790 27,639 [35]

Eelam War I

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
1983 400 - 6,571 13 53 - 100 ~3,113[citation needed]
1984 872 -1,075
1985 777 - 1,023
1986 889 - 1,067
1987 3,714 - 5,017
Total 6,652 - 14,753
Notes: higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[34]

Indian intervention

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Year Civilians Security Force IPKF LTTE Total
1987 3,714 - 5,017
1988 2,929 - 4,182
1989 1,475 - 3,003
1990 5,798 - 15,179
Total 13,916 - 27,381 26 1,000+ 1,300
Notes: higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[34]

Eelam War II

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
1990 5,798 - 15,179
1991 4,360 - 6,207
1992 3,769 - 5,549
1993 2,983 - 3,659
1994 2,470 - 3,006
1995 3,481 - 4,415
Total 22,861 - 38,015
Notes: higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[34]

Eelam War III

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
1995 3,481 - 4,415
1996 4,074 - 5,752
1997 4,056 - 5,519
1998 2,161 - 3,499
1999 1,661 - 1,838
2000* 162 - 1,707 784 2,845 3,791
2001 89 - 93 412 1,321 1,822
Total 15,684 - 22,823 1,196 4,166 5,613
Notes:*Data from 1 March 2000 higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[34][36]

Cease Fire Period

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
2002 14 - 32 1 0 15
2003 31 -50 2 26 59
2004 33 - 91 7 69 109
2005 153 90 87 330
Total 231 - 326 100 182 513
Notes:Includes only Casualties between 2002 and 2005 most of which is the Cease Fire. higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[34][36]

Eelam War IV

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
2006 981 826 2,319 4,126
2007 525 499 3,345 4,369
2008 404 1,314 9,426 11,144
2009* 9,257 - 140,000[37][38] 1,312 2,515 13,084 - 143,827
Total 11,167 - 141,910 3,954 17,425 32,723 - 163,466
Notes:*Data till April 20, 2009
Source:[36][39][19][34][40]

Overall

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Year Civilians Security Force LTTE Total
Eelam War I
1983 400 - 6,571 13 53 - 100 ~3,113[citation needed]
1984 872 -1,075
1985 777 - 1,023
1986 889 - 1,067
1987 3,714 - 5,017
Indian intervention
1988 2,929 - 4,182
1989 1,475 - 3,003
Eelam War II
1990 5,798 - 15,179
1991 4,360 - 6,207
1992 3,769 - 5,549
1993 2,983 - 3,659
1994 2,470 - 3,006
Eelam War III
1995 3,481 - 4,415
1996 4,074 - 5,752
1997 4,056 - 5,519
1998 2,161 - 3,499
1999 1,661 - 1,838
2000 162 - 1,707 784 2,845 3,791
2001 89 - 93 412 1,321 1,822
Cease Fire Period
2002 14 - 32 1 0 15
2003 31 -50 2 26 59
2004 33 - 91 7 69 109
2005 153 90 87 330
Eelam War IV
2006 981 826 2,319 4,126
2007 525 499 3,345 4,369
2008 404 1,314 9,426 11,144
2009* 9,257 - 40,000
________________________
(? 71,173 ? - accounting for 75,000[40] figure)
1,312
________________________
(? 32,485 - 63,228 ? - accounting for 75,000[40] figure)
2,515
________________________
(Tamil Tigers didn't have (They had 30,000 fighters) enough fighters to account for the 75,000 figure.)
13,084 - 75,000[40]
Total 55,608 - 125,614
________________________
(156,787 accounting for 75,000[40] figure in 2009)
5,247 - 67,163 (accounting for 75,000[40] figure in 2009) 21,953 38,849 - 152,814
________________________
(183,987 - 214,730 accounting for 75,000[40] figure in 2009)
Notes:*Data till May 11, 2009, **Data from March 1, 2000, higher estimates including disappeared peoples as presumed dead
Source:[36][39][19][40]

The above table is incomplete. Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

References

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  1. ^ a b "UN, aid agencies appeal for civilian protection in Sri Lanka as over 100,000 flee". 12 March 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Defiant Tigers cling to last bastion". 16 July 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Sri Lanka says 147 dead in recent fighting". Reuters. 15 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Up to 100,000 killed in Sri Lanka's civil war: UN". ABC Australia. 20 May 2009. source not working
  5. ^ "UN to collect evidence of alleged Sri Lanka war crimes". BBC. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.source does not support the claim in the body of the article
  6. ^ "REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S PANEL OF EXPERTS ON ACCOUNTABILITY IN SRI LANKA" (PDF). United Nations. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2021.paragraph 137 on p.41
  7. ^ a b "Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka" (PDF). United Nations. November 2012. p. 50. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Secretary-General's Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka" (PDF). United Nations Digital Library. United Nations. November 2012. p. 11. Retrieved 3 January 2022. The COG had prepared a casualty sheet which showed that a large majority of the civilian casualties recorded by the UN had reportedly been caused by Government fire
  9. ^ "Recorded figures of Arrests, Killings, Disappearances". www.tchr.net/50_year_arrest_kill.htm.
  10. ^ Death Toll In Sri Lanka's 2009 War https://itjpsl.com/assets/ITJP_death_toll_A4_v6.pdf
  11. ^ "Genocide against the Tamil People" (PDF). www.ptsrilanka.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/massacres_pogroms_en.pdf.
  12. ^ "Sri Lanka government publishes war death toll statistics". BBC News. 24 February 2012.
  13. ^ a b David Pallister & Gethin Chamberlain (24 April 2009). "Sri Lanka war toll near 6,500, UN report says". London: The Guardian, UK.
  14. ^ a b "Sri Lanka rejects rebel ceasefire". BBC News. 27 April 2009.
  15. ^ a b Chamberlain, Gethin (29 May 2009). "Sri Lanka death toll 'unacceptably high', says UN". London: The Guardian, UK. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Slaughter in Sri Lanka". London: The Times, UK. 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  17. ^ "Q&A: Post-war Sri Lanka". BBC News. 9 January 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Report to Congress on Incidents During the Recent Conflict in Sri Lanka" (PDF). Department of State, USA. 22 October 2009.
  19. ^ a b c d Buncombe, Andrew (12 February 2010). "Up to 40,000 civilians 'died in Sri Lanka offensive'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  20. ^ "Sri Lanka 'war crimes': Main allegations". BBC News. 17 June 2011.
  21. ^ Hawdon, James; Ryan, John; Lucht, Marc (6 August 2014). The Causes and Consequences of Group Violence: From Bullies to Terrorists. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739188972.
  22. ^ Hoole, Rajan (2001). "Tamils & The Political Culture Of Auto-Genocide –XII: A Monstrosity". Sri Lanka: The arrogance of power : myths, decadence & murder. University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna). ISBN 978-9559447047. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  23. ^ Hoole, R. (1 March 2009). "Sri Lanka: Ethnic Strife, Fratricide, and the Peace vs. Human Rights Dilemma". Journal of Human Rights Practice. 1 (1): 120–139. doi:10.1093/jhuman/hun003.
  24. ^ "SRI LANKA: At least 90 more civilians killed" (PDF). amnesty.org. Amnesty International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Recurring Nightmare". www.hrw.org.
  26. ^ "Sri Lankan president showers praises on the military". 26 May 2018.
  27. ^ "TamilNet".
  28. ^ "LTTE leader pays homage on Heroes Day". www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=27600&catid=71.
  29. ^ Ford Institute for Human Security, Human Security Data, http://www.fordinstitute.pitt.edu/FordResources/Databases/tabid/466/Default.aspx,
  30. ^ Uppsala Conflict Data Program, Low-high estimates for state based fighting between Government of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and JVP (low:61-high:61)Government of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and LTTE (Low:56,219-high:70,375), deliberate killings of civilians by Government of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (low:368-high:1,666)and fighting between LTTE and LTTE-Karuna Faction (low:192-high:294) and LTTE and PLOTE (low:101-high:103), httpE (low:2,252://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=144&regionSelect=6-Central_and_Southern_Asia#, viewed 2013-05-03
  31. ^ Uppsala Conflict Data Program, Sri Lanka Conflict Summary, http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=144&regionSelect=6-Central_and_Southern_Asia
  32. ^ "Victory's price: 6,200 Sri Lankan troops". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 May 2009.
  33. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150924150750/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eda17636-4733-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2009. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ^ a b c d e f g "Recorded figures of Arrests, Killings, Disappearances, Rapes, Displacements and Injuries to Tamils in the North East, Colombo and other regions (1956-2004)". Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR Centre Tamoul pour les Droits de l'Homme. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Fatalities in Terrorist Violence in Sri Lanka since March 2000". Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  36. ^ a b c d South Asian Terrorism Portal Archived 2001-11-03 at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ^ "Sri Lanka's dead and missing: the need for an accounting". Crisis Group. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  38. ^ Petrie, Charles (2012). "Report of the Secretary-General's Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka". United Nations Digital Library System.
  39. ^ a b South Asian Terrorism Portal Archived 2009-06-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h United Nations Secretary General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka (UN PoE). 2011. “Report.” United Nations, 31 March. Available: http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/POE_Report_Full.pdf page 40.