INTROSSri Lanka is an island made up of many different ethnic groups, with the Sinhalese making up 75% of the population, the Tamils ​​making up 11% and the rest 14%. Differences between these groups on the basis of religion, language and ethnicity resulted in a 26-year civil war that began in July 1983 and ended in May 2009. The war was fought between the Sinhalese-dominated state and Sri Lanka's Tamil militants. separatist movements. This article will demonstrate how the civil war in Sri Lanka was truly a war against terrorism rather than an attempt at ethnic cleansing. This will require understanding the history of the civil war, what the LTTE did and what the Sri Lankan government did. fought for an independent Tamil state, in the northeast of the island and for the Sri Lankan government.() The war caused many difficulties* in Sri Lanka and it is estimated that 80,000 to 100,000 people lost their lives. life.() The war ended* stemming from a long history of religious identity, ethnic difference and linguistic difference between the Tamils ​​and the Sinhalese, as the Tamils ​​are predominantly Hindu and originally from South India. The Sinhalese speak Sinhalese, are primarily Buddhist, and originate from northern India. This division* between ethnic groups appeared after the colonial powers took power on the northern coast, mainly inhabited by Tamil populations. This led to Tamils ​​having an advantage over Sinhalese because they studied English first, which led to Tamils ​​dominating in certain careers. () The division deepened when the “Sinhalese Only Act” was passed, which made Sinhalese the official language. .... middle of paper ...... what they did to Sri Lanka and its people. They both killed countless numbers of citizens, destroyed many buildings and farms and affected the environment in Sri Lanka. It is incorrect to say that although the Sri Lankan government was widely criticized for what happened during the war, it was an attempt at ethnic cleansing. The Sri Lankan government should be held accountable for its actions during the war, but that does not mean it was ethnic cleansing. War is a horrible situation, there is so much pain and suffering and many are killed in crossfire that has nothing to do with what is happening around them. Both parties are wrong and 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..