Internally displaced person in Sri Lanka

Civilians trapped in a government-designated ‘no fire zone’ are facing a humanitarian crisis, according to The Guardian (March 23, 2009). The 25-year-old civil war between the rebel Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army may be drawing nearer to an end, but the situation remains dire for displaced civilians. Although designated for safe assembly of those fleeing the fighting, this ‘no fire zone’ is no safe haven; over 150,000 people are running short of food, clean water, and medicine, while they are bombarded with shells by the Sri Lankan army.

The rebel territory has shrunk with the advances of the Sri Lankan army, and the Tamil Tigers have forced all civilians under their control to flee with them. Those civilians who make it to a ‘no fire zone’ face the risk of being killed by government shells if they stay or getting shot by rebels if they try to leave. According to Human Rights Watch, civilian casualties have increased significantly since the fall of the Tamil Tigers’ administrative center, Kilinochchi, in early January 2009; The Guardian reports that UN figures show more than 3,000 lives lost since the end of January. In addition to wounds, civilians in the conflict zone are at risk of dying from disease and malnutrition, which could be prevented if more medical supplies and facilities were available. There are only three rudimentary medical facilities in one of the ‘no fire zones,’ with a UN estimate of 5,000 patient visits a day.

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, both sides have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, including the shelling of hospitals and the Sri Lankan army’s repeated and indiscriminate attacks on civilians in ‘no fire zones.’ Although the government does provide its own aid to civilians, it is dangerously insufficient, and the government’s decision in September 2008 to order most humanitarian agencies out of the northern Vanni region has contributed to the humanitarian crisis. Among other recommendations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urge the creation of humanitarian corridors, along which civilians could reach safety during a temporary truce, and urge the government to permit independent media – as well as human rights and aid organizations – into the area.

See also:

AlertNet Profile (See timeline, news, and links on the conflict)

Google map of Sri Lanka (See “Insight on Conflict” link for a map of sites important in the conflict and locations of local peacebuilding initiatives)

Sri Lanka: Pregnant women at greater risk in conflict – IRIN, Apr 2009

Sri Lanka children ‘being killed’ – BBC News, Mar 2009