The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

In May 2009, the government of Sri Lanka won a decades’ long civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after killing the organization’s leader and regaining control over the entire island. The exact number of those who died is not known, but conservative estimates state that over 75,000 people lost their lives in fighting since the armed conflict began in the 1970s when the Tamil Tigers, concentrated in the North and East, began pressing for self-governance. When the government resisted, the LTTE organized and began a campaign of suicide bombings and attacks throughout the country. Several rounds of talks between the government and LTTE failed to establish a lasting peace.

In February 2002, the government and LTTE signed a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement intended to lay the groundwork for new talks. Sporadic violence continued, despite the ceasefire, and escalated dramatically in 2006 as talks stalled. By the time the government withdrew from the agreement in January 2008, more than 5,000 people had been killed since the ceasefire was signed.

Political Situation

Current Programs

Funding

Featured Publications

Contact Information