Since January, Sri Lanka has witnessed multiple violent killings, with 27 reported shootings over the span of just 82 days, leaving at least 22 people dead, according to Sri Lankan police.
Police divisions from Weligama, Ahungalla, Devinuwara, Dodangoda, Ambalantota, Kaali, Minuwangoda, Middeniya, Ambalangoda, and Dewandara have all reported incidents, pointing to an issue across the South of the island. The only district in the North to have a shooting was Mannar, where a Sri Lankan army soldier was arrested over a double murder.
The latest of these attacks occurred in Devinuwara, where two young men riding a motorcycle were gunned down by assailants in a van. Police have since arrested four suspects, including a woman in suspected connection with the shooting.
This incident comes on the back of the high-profile courtroom assassination of underworld figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa. Former Sri Lankan soldiers and political figures have been linked with the violence.
Justice For All, a non-governmental organisation, recently questioned the effectiveness of the rule of law and the operation of key institutions responsible for maintaining order. They emphasised that "the entrenched corruption and abuse of power among certain sections of the law enforcement agencies has long manifested in torture, encounter killings carried out with impunity".
