Abstract

The Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) that lasted for almost three decades had its domestic, regional, and global ramifications. But the end of the cessation movement has equally posed enormous challenges given the urgent need to provide immediate relief and rehabilitation for nearly 300,000 Internally Displaced Person(s) (IDPs) and reintegration of 12,000 ex-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres into civil society. Resolution of these issues has been argued to be nearly successful. However, the major challenge in the long term is building peace and harmony in Sri Lankan society. The civil war may have formally ended, but the root causes of the conflict still remain. Sri Lanka has experienced negative peace since 2009, i.e. absence of war and violence, but little or no promotion of harmony and peace. The transition of the nature of the cause of the conflict from one involving ethnic identity to satisfying ulterior political motives has only led to further marginalisation of the resident Tamilian population. Rehabilitation measures taken by the government have been met with skepticism by the affected, as they believe that domestic measures are not doing them proper justice. The article aims to discuss how the concept of ethnic identity and the feeling of ethnic “separatism” play a vital role in the peace-building process that is still underway in present day Sri Lanka. Further deliberations include how identity politics (employed in domestic politics) still plays a role in the peace-building process in the post conflict scenario, or whether its role has downscaled further? The methodology employed in this study is based on an extensive analysis of secondary research data comprised of empirical observations made by agencies like the United Nations (UN) and Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP).