WUNRN
SRI LANKA - HUMANITARIAN CRISIS -
SERIOUS DANGER FOR CIVILIANS
TRAPPED IN INTERNAL ARMED CONFLICT -
WOMEN & CHILDREN
20
April 2009
CRISIS IN SRI LANKA -
WOMEN & CHILDREN - UPDATE
The
following statement was issued by the Board of Trustees of the International
Crisis Group meeting over the weekend in Washington, DC:
A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Sri Lanka involving the possible deaths of tens of thousands of civilians trapped between government and insurgent LTTE (Tamil Tiger) forces in a tiny strip of land not much bigger than Central Park in Manhattan.
As many as 150,000 or more1 civilians are so trapped. Their living area is being shelled by the Sri Lankan military, and the Tamil Tigers are using them as human shield hostages. Dozens are dying every day, and there are grave shortages of food, water, and medical treatment. Available reports suggest 5,000 civilians, including at least 500 children, have died since mid-January, and 10,000 have been injured.......
Link to Full Text:
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MADRE - CRISIS IN SRI LANKA -
GENDER
April 21, 2009
Yesterday,
tens of thousands of women and families began pouring out of the war zone in
northern Sri Lanka, where they have been trapped for months. These families
need our help. They are traumatized and hungry. Many are sick, orphaned and
injured and have not had access to medical care, clean water, or shelter.
Over 100,000 people in northern Sri Lanka have been caught in the cross-fire
between the army and the Tamil Tigers. More than 4,500 civilians have been
killed in just the past three months.
Now, the military has scaled up its attack in an effort to wipe out the Tamil
Tigers. The army is using heavy artillery in attacks on a small, densely
populated area.
"With this latest surge in fighting, our greatest fear is that the worst
is yet to come," said Unicef's regional director for south Asia, Daniel
Toole.
There were reports of hundreds of civilian casualties yesterday alone, including
killings with internationally banned weapons such as cluster shells, napalm
bombs and phosphorus bombs. Many homes, a hospital and an orphanage have been
shelled by the army.
Most fleeing the conflict wind up in transition camps that aren't equipped to
cope with this suddent influx of people. The UN has expressed concern about
conditions in the camps, many of which are struggling to cope with the daily
influx of new arrivals. Poor sanitation and shortages of water have raised
concerns about the spread of disease, and the government and aid agencies face
a major challenge in getting enough food into the camps, with many of those
arriving – particularly children – showing signs of malnourishment.
Governement officials say that until they can be sure they have weeded out all
LTTE members among the civilians in the camps everyone will have to be
detained. A small number of elderly people have been released, but the camps
are still home to thousands of children, pregnant women and elderly people.
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----- Original Message -----
From: WUNRN
ListServe
To: WUNRN ListServe
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:50 AM
Subject: Sri Lanka - Danger for Civilians Trapped in Internal Armed
Conflict - Women & Children
WUNRN
SRI LANKA - DANGER FOR CIVILIANS
TRAPPED IN INTERNAL
ARMED CONFLICT - SRI
LANKA WOMEN & CHILDREN
Please see 4 parts of this
WUNRN release.
Aid workers fear human suffering could intensify-BBC
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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D933S22O0&show_article=1&catnum=2
Associated Press
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Trapped Civilians Further Endangered in Sri Lanka: Amnesty
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September 10, 2008 |
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COLOMBO, Sept. 10 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Sri Lankan
government's order for U.N. and nongovernmental aid workers to leave the
war-torn northern Wanni region of the island could further endanger tens of
thousands of displaced civilians trapped between rebel and government forces,
Amnesty International warned Wednesday. The human rights group said in a statement
that Sri Lankan staff of international agencies still in Wanni fear that the withdrawal
of international staff will make the displaced "more vulnerable to
abuses by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam." "Amnesty International has received
credible reports that that the LTTE has prevented civilians from moving to
safer places in government-controlled areas," the statement said.
"The LTTE is also actively recruiting minors in camps for the newly
displaced." "Aid agencies provide a lifeline to
tens of thousands of trapped civilians," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty
International's Asia-Pacific director. "If aid workers are pulled out of the
region, food, shelter and sanitation supplies have even less chance of
reaching civilians most in need," he said. Although the government, turning on the
military heat to capture the rebel-held Wanni, maintains it will care for the
displaced, aid workers say that it lacks the capacity to provide basic
essentials and shelter to those fleeing the fierce fighting between the
government and the LTTE. Aerial bombardment is a major factor in the
war with the Sri Lanka air force flying daily sorties to bomb what the
government says are "identified LTTE targets." But the rebels are known to use human
shields to defend themselves and for propaganda purposes. The International Committee of the Red
Cross has issued a statement saying it will continue to assist those in need,
wherever they are located. The Sri Lankan military has launched a
military offensive to regain control of LTTE-held areas and over 100,000
people are estimated to have fled their homes and are internally displaced. |
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September
10, 2008
A Statement from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
SRI LANKA: UN Agency Concerned for Over 10,000 Families Escaping Violence
8 August 2008 - The United Nations refugee agency expressed concern today over the safety of thousands of families fleeing escalating violence in northern Sri Lanka between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
"We call on both parties to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of those affected; to allow freedom of movement for those seeking safety from the ongoing operations; and to ensure that the internally displaced are neither targeted nor located near military targets," Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva.
He warned that supplies of food, shelter, water and sanitation equipment and fuel to transport civilians are running "dangerously low." Stringent restrictions on the movement of goods into the region are preventing aid workers from replenishing the stocks.
"UNHCR calls upon the authorities to allow unhindered passage for essential supplies as soon as possible," Mr. Redmond stated.
Some 12,000 families are reported to have escaped the conflict in July alone, with people trying to keep ahead of the fighting's moving frontlines to stay out of the crossfire. The UN's access to most of the 10,000 internally displaced families in Karachchi has been cut off due to humanitarian workers' security concerns.
"UNHCR is urging all parties to allow humanitarian access to the affected population so they can be provided with much-needed assistance in a timely manner and in line with international humanitarian law and practices," said Mr. Redmond.
Most of the displaced families are staying out in the open, and some areas can no longer accommodate those forced to flee due to military operations are closing in on them. UNHCR, in concert with local authorities and other agencies, are trying to locate additional sites to shelter the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
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Internal Displacement Monitoring
Centre
Sri Lanka: Precarious Situation for
IDPs Tapped in the Vanni
The UN has called for the free movement of tens
of thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting in Sri Lanka’s Vanni area,
which is under the control of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE). More than 160,000 people are displaced in the Vanni, and at least
134,000 IDPs within the Vanni’s Kilinochchi District, the headquarters of the
LTTE. With the army closing in, people in the Vanni have become exceptionally
vulnerable. The response to government leaflets urging civilians to move out of
the conflict zone has been slow, and the LTTE has been accused of forcing
people to stay on and using them as human shields
in the fight against government troops. The UN has been providing supplies to
the displaced through a single access point 50 kilometres south of Kilinochchi,
but the situation remains very precarious.
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Sri Lanka -
Desperate Plight of Tamil Civilians
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The claims and counter claims by Sri Lanka's warring parties in the current fighting have overshadowed civilian suffering and misery in the northern region. Trapped between the advancing Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fiercely resisting the offensive, thousands of Tamils living inside rebel-held territory have been made homeless and are wandering from place to place in search of safe havens. No-one knows exactly how many civilians have been displaced since the fighting began last year, but it is estimated that more than 150,000 people are depending on the government and aid agencies for food and shelter in the north. The UN refugee agency - UNHCR - last week warned that thousands of displaced people are in danger because of dwindling emergency aid stocks in the north. The agency estimates that more than 60,000 people were displaced in July alone as a result of intense battles between the army and the rebels. According to the UNHCR, supplies of food, shelter materials, water and fuel for transportation of civilians are running "dangerously low" for those attempting to escape the crossfire. Stiff resistance It is clear that the army has made significant gains in the last few months. The Mannar district has now come under the control of the security forces and the rebels are in danger of losing strategically important naval bases and towns in other districts as well. Unless there is a military debacle, it is possible that the government troops will gradually claw their way into the key rebel-held town of Kilinochchi sooner or later. The strategy of the armed forces is clear. Heavy artillery shelling, prior to an operation, drives away the civilians and then they make their advance. They have also opened many battle fronts to spread out the rebel fighters. Naturally, their air power and numerical superiority give them a clear edge. However, despite recent losses the Tamil Tigers still hold considerable fighting ability to launch surprise counter attacks. Contrary to some military claims, their core fighting formations are said to be still intact and they can easily adapt themselves to protracted guerrilla warfare. That's why the Sri Lankan forces want to go after the Tamil Tigers instead of capturing only the territory. "You can't just push them into the jungles and wait. You have to search for them and completely eradicate them. Only then peace can come," the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse, told a British newspaper recently. Obviously, this would leave many Tamils in rebel-controlled areas in further danger. "The rebel military installations and civilian areas are mixed. If the army advances further and confines the rebels into a smaller region then civilian vulnerability will increase," says Sri Lankan analyst DBS Jeyaraj. Civilian plight The other option for the trapped civilians would be to leave the rebel-held areas. But there are hardly any avenues. The key roads are blocked due to the conflict and passages through interior roads are dangerous due to possible roadside bombs and landmines. Also, it is not clear whether the rebels would allow them to leave. With children, women, cattle and some belongings, people are moving from one area to another in large numbers, as there are no safe havens or established refugee camps. Likewise there are no toilets or bathing facilities and people sleep in the open despite the sweltering heat and mosquitoes. The efforts by humanitarian agencies to deliver more aid are hindered by strict restrictions on the transport of goods into the region. But the government says enough supplies are being sent to the rebel-controlled territory. "There are no restrictions and there is no shortage. We send food and other essentials as per the request of the senior government official in those areas," says Sri Lankan army spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara. No international support No one knows when or how the conflict will end. But Tamils feel that the international community could have done more to help them. "The silence of the international community, especially by neighbouring India, over the displacement and suffering of Tamils is disturbing," says Mr Jeyaraj. With no sign of a let up in the fighting, aid workers and Tamils fear that human suffering is set to increase in northern Sri Lanka. |
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