New Sri Lankan army commander assumes control in Jaffna amid ongoing militarisation concerns

K.J.N.M.P.K Nawarathna called on Northern Province Govnor

Major General K.J.N.M.P.K. Nawarathna has assumed duties as the 35th Commander of the Security Forces Headquarters in Jaffna, formally taking office on 4 April 2026, further entrenching the Sri Lankan military’s presence in the Tamil homeland.

Following his appointment, Nawarathna engaged in a series of meetings with senior civil administrators in the North on 20 April, underscoring the military’s continued role in civilian governance. He met with Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayagam at the Governor’s Secretariat in his first formal engagement, before holding discussions with Jaffna District Secretary Maruthalingam Pradeepan at the District Secretariat. The meetings, attended by senior officers from the 51 Division and Palaly-based units, were said to cover “various matters,” with no further details disclosed.

Government Agent of Jaffna in a discussion with Major General Nawarathna

Nawarathna is known to have served in the Gemunu Watch regiment, which was actively deployed during the final phases of the armed conflict in 2009, a period marked by mass atrocities against Tamil civilians. He has been awarded both the Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) and the higher Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), honours conferred by the Sri Lankan state for acts of 'battlefield bravery'. Such decorations are typically awarded to personnel who played active roles in military operations against the Tamil population and the JVP uprisings.

His appointment underscores the continued deployment of a Sinhala-dominated military force in the Tamil homeland. More than a decade after the end of the armed conflict, the North-East remains under heavy military presence, with senior officers, many of whom served during the final stages of the war, occupying influential roles that often interfere with civilian administration. This enduring structure reinforces long-standing concerns over militarisation, lack of accountability and the continued subjugation of Tamil civilian life under an occupying military apparatus.