Almost two thousand former rebel fighters in Sri Lanka have been released.

They were among thousands of Tamil Tigers who surrendered or were arrested near the end of the bloody civil war, which spanned more than a quarter of a century.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, at a ceremony to announce their release on Friday at which 1,800 former fighters were hosted, that they must move forward and work together in the future.

Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez reports from the capital, Colombo.