Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President of Sri Lanka during the final years of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which ended in 2009. Rajapaksa had been in power since 2005 and led the government forces in a military offensive against the Tamil Tigers rebel group, which had been fighting for an independent state in the north and east of the country. Rajapaksa's government declared victory over the rebels in May 2009, ending the 26-year-long civil war.