In the annul of evolution of violence in Sri Lanka, the conflicts did not arise all of a sudden, but evolved gradually from long standing various sources of conflict and disagreements. Although the developmental issues are not only responsible for starting and sustaining the violent conflict, they still remain a significant factor in the history of various pogroms occurred in the country. The analysis of the genesis of Sri Lankan ethno political conflict reveals that the history of development in Sri Lanka also has its linkages to the dynamics of conflict and peace initiatives. The objective of this paper is to explore the ways in which development is implicated in the story of evolution of violent conflict in Sri Lanka. The first section outlines the implication of development in the evolution of conflict dynamics during the colonial period and the second section portrays the development and its linkages to the evolution and dynamics of conflict and peace process during post-independence, specially focusing on the emergence of conflicts in the periods of post 1977s, Post 1983s, 1990s, peace process and the post peace process. The final section concludes emphasizing the development is necessary, but not enough to sustain peace.

Keyword: Development; Evolution; Violent Conflicts