Decades After War's End, Tamil Farmers in Sri Lanka Still Struggling to Reclaim Their Land

More than fifteen years after the end of Sri Lanka's devastating civil war, thousands of Tamil farmers in the country's north and east continue to fight for the return of agricultural lands that were seized during decades of conflict — land that many say is essential to rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

A Legacy of Displacement

The civil war, which lasted nearly three decades and claimed tens of thousands of lives, left vast swathes of Tamil-populated territory in disarray. Farming families who fled violence or were forcibly displaced found their lands occupied — in many cases by the military, government institutions, or other parties — with little recourse to reclaim what was rightfully theirs once the fighting ceased in 2009.

For many Tamil agricultural communities, land is not merely an economic resource. It represents identity, heritage, and the foundation of rural family life. Losing access to paddy fields and smallholder plots has had cascading effects on food security, income, and community cohesion across the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Farmers Pressing for Justice

Tamil farmers across affected districts have continued to petition authorities, stage protests, and seek legal remedies in their efforts to recover occupied lands. Despite successive government promises of reconciliation and resettlement, progress has been widely criticised as slow and inconsistent.

Many families report that even when they are permitted to return to their villages, they find their fields still under military control or rendered unusable due to landmines, neglect, or structural changes made during the occupation period.

For these communities, genuine post-war reconciliation cannot be separated from the practical reality of land restitution. Without their fields, a return to normalcy remains out of reach.

Military Land Holdings Under Scrutiny

A significant portion of the dispute centres on land held by the Sri Lankan military in the north and east, which critics argue far exceeds any legitimate security requirement. Civil society organisations and Tamil political representatives have long called on the government to accelerate the release of such lands and establish transparent mechanisms to verify and honour ownership claims.

While some land has been released to civilians in recent years, advocacy groups maintain that the scale of releases remains inadequate relative to the volume of outstanding claims.

Broader Reconciliation Concerns

The land issue sits at the heart of wider concerns about the pace and sincerity of post-war reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Tamil political parties and human rights organisations argue that without resolving fundamental grievances — including land rights, accountability for wartime conduct, and political devolution — lasting peace will remain elusive.

The Sri Lankan government has faced persistent international pressure, including from United Nations human rights bodies, to address the needs of war-affected communities more decisively and transparently.

For the Tamil farmers still waiting to till their own soil, the passage of time has done little to diminish the urgency of their cause. Their struggle serves as a sobering reminder that ending a war on the battlefield is only the beginning of a far longer road to genuine reconciliation.

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