Voices of Peace: "They were Just Like Us" by Sarah Kabir

This volume presents a rather unique collection of narratives. The narratives are from a sample of twenty former combatants on either side of the battle in the North-East War in Sri Lanka. The narratives are presented as “voices of peace”, as the ex-combatants from Sri Lankan security forces and LTTE reflect on their struggles in life during and after the war. Now that over one decade has passed since the end of the war, the ex-combatants can have a relatively detached view of how the war devastated their lives, how far they have rebuilt the lives and livelihoods so devastated and what are the remaining challenges they face 10 years after the end of the war. This collection is unique because it brings face to face the narratives of those who fought with each other in the battlefield. In these narratives not only the formerly rival groups talk to each other, but also in the end to the public at large, including policy makers, rebel leaders and commanders who made vital decisions during and after the war about strategies of war, reconciliation and peace.