What are Black July massacres that triggered Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war? | A wayback on Black Jul

Mon, 25 May 2026 17:56:27 +0000

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Jul 23, 2023

It has been 40 years since riots broke out in Sri Lanka against the country's Tamil minority.
Hundreds were killed, thousands had their homes destroyed and businesses looted in a weeklong marathon of violence.
Many believe the violence was carried out by people from the Sinhala majority mobs, backed by the government.
It ignited the country's 26-year conflict between the government and Tamil Tiger separatists.

Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez reports from Colombo.