That conflict, between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan state, erupted in 1983. The Tigers eventually had vast areas under their control in their fight for an independent territory in the island's north and east, but were defeated and all but wiped out in a 2009 military offensive.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been elected as Sri Lanka's new president, becoming the first Marxist leader in the country's history. His win is seen as a referendum on economic reforms during a severe crisis.

Sri Lanka's election commission declared a previously fringe Marxist politician the country's president-elect on Sunday after a vote coloured by discontent over the island nation's response to an unprecedented financial crisis.