Sri Lanka's Government to Withdraw From Truce Agreement

By Charlie

The government of Sri Lanka says it is withdrawing from a cease-fire agreement with Tamil rebels because the pact has become meaningless. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi the withdrawal is largely symbolic because the Norwegian-brokered truce collapsed two years ago.

The government's decision to end a 2002 truce agreement with Tamil rebels came as virtually everyone acknowledged that the pact existed only in name.

Really? A peace treaty with a known terrorist group fell through? Who’d have thunk it?

"From the beginning it was observed only in the breach by the LTTE. In the first couple of years, it used the cease-fire agreement to regroup, rearm, and then in 2005 it launched massive attacks on government forces," said Kohona. "In a real practical sense, this agreement served very little purpose."

That seems to be what most “truces” are with terrorist groups, re-fit, re-arm, and hen they’re ready, and in a position of better strength, start fighting again-on their terms. This has been observed in Gaza, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Recall this post about the MILF getting their “truce” in the Philippines, because it is likely to work out the same way Sri Lanka’s did:

Any time an insurgent group actually gains a chunk of territory, it is a HUGE victory on their terms, and validates their struggle for more land, and political control of it. All other things being equal, expect an information operations campaign to follow once the MILF takes political control of this territory, emphasizing how “just” the governance now is, showing new roads, schools, and happy children. Expect the MILF, and its fellow travelers, to set up shop in their new home territory, and use it to re-fit, re-am, train, and recruit forces to continue the unconventional fight elsewhere.

January 7, 2008 01:14 PM Terrorism