Sri Lanka 'could return to war'

A Tamil rebel leader today warned that Sri Lanka could slip back into civil war unless the government stops backing armed groups that the rebels claim are attacking them.

Anton Balasingham, the London-based chief negotiator for the Tamil Tiger rebels, accused the government of paying and providing logistics support to five paramilitary groups, allowing the armed forces to “sustain a shadow war” against the Tigers, according to the pro-rebel Tamilnet website.