COLOMBO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government has decided to formally annul a ceasefire pact with the Tamil Tigers, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

"The government had decided to withdraw from the ceasefire," Lakshman Hulugalle, director general of the Media Centre for National Security, told Reuters.

The military and rebels have been fighting a new phase in a two-decade civil war since early last year. Well over 5,000 people have been killed since then. (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Writing by Simon Gardner, Editing by Matthew Jones)

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