INTROSri Lanka is an island made up of many different ethnicities, the Sinhalese making up 75% of the population, the Tamils ​​making up 11% and the others 14%. Differences between these groups on the basis of religion, language and ethnicity led to a 26-year civil war that began in July 1983 and ended in May 2009. The war was fought between the Sinhala-dominated state and Tamil militants Sri Lankan. separatist movements. This article will demonstrate how the Sri Lankan civil war was truly a war against terrorism rather than an attempt at ethnic cleansing. It will do so by understanding the history of the civil war, what the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government did. HISTORY The Sri Lankan civil war was fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant separatist organization fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north-eastern part of the island and for the government of Sri Lanka Lanka.() The war caused many hardships* for Sri Lanka and it is estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 people lost their lives.() The war stems* from a long history of religious identity, ethnic and linguistic difference between the Tamils ​​and Sinhalese as Tamils ​​are mainly Hindus and come from South India. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, are primarily Buddhist, and originate from Northern India. This division* between ethnic groups emerged after colonial powers took control of the northern coast, inhabited mainly by Tamil populations. This led to Tamils ​​having an advantage over Sinhalese as they studied English first, which led to Tamils ​​dominating in some careers. () The divide became more heated when the “Sinhala Only Act” was passed, this made Sinhala the official language. .... middle of paper ...... what they have done to Sri Lanka and its people. Both have killed countless citizens and destroyed numerous buildings and farms and have adversely affected the environment in Sri Lanka. It is wrong to say that although the Sri Lankan government was very angry about what happened during the war, attempted ethnic cleansing. The Sri Lankan government should be held accountable for what it did during the war, but that doesn't mean it was ethnic cleansing. War is a horrible situation to be in, there is so much pain and suffering and many are killed in the crossfire which has nothing to do with what is happening around them. Both sides are wrong and both should be held accountable for what happened. It is clear that what the LTTE were doing in Sri Lanka was terrorism and the Sri Lankan government had to take a stand against them..