The hostilities have been mostly concentrated in the north and north-east of the country, where the Tamil minority is concentrated. Between 1987 and 1990, the government also confronted the armed People's Liberation Front. Both sides resorted to extreme violence, and many people were forcibly disappeared by the government during this period. Women and girls suspected of such sympathies have also been systematically disappeared. Many of the disappeared are also people who have been displaced, and have sought shelter in churches or schools.
Disappearances usually occur after detention by police or military forces.
Though many are released within a few days, some remain in custody for questioning. It's alleged that the bodies of those murdered are sometimes discarded into disused wells and lavatories in or near army camps. While there is no evidence that the disappearances are sanctioned by the Colombo government, the government has not taken the necessary step to prevent them. While the report is to be made public, and the president has promised prosecutions of those responsible for the disappearances, little has been done so far. A Board of Investigation established by the Ministry of Defense to investigate disappearances in the northern and eastern section of Sri Lanka in 1996 led to the location of 182 people, but again the fate of the rest remains unknown and those responsible for these disappearances remain unpunished.