Sri Lankan conflict

Tearfund warns of long-term need

Tearfund is working through partner agencies in Sri Lanka to help many of the 250,000 civilians caught up in the island’s increasingly bloody civil war. Recent weeks have seen an intensification of fighting between government forces and those of the Tamil Tigers in the north of the country, and many civilians have been caught in the crossfire, despite the creation of ‘safe zones’.

Clare Crawford, Tearfund’s programme manager for Sri Lanka, said of the humanitarian situation: ‘Long term, we are talking about needs of a greater scale than when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka as more people have lost their homes and livelihoods through the intensity of the conflict. As yet no-one has a clear picture of how many have been killed or injured, but health officials estimate that some 1200 people have been killed over the past month with another 100 injured each day. Our partners are doing all they can to meet immediate needs.’

‘The human and physical suffering is nothing like we have ever seen - I cannot understand how someone can go through this and still function,’ said a spokesperson for LEADS, a partner agency that Tearfund is supporting. ‘The Tsunami was a sudden acute pain but these people's suffering has been long drawn at the hands of the Tamil Tigers while at the same time having to save themselves from attacks by Sri Lankan forces.’

‘The response from churches is encouraging - their willingness to work as a network is a great step.’

A local priest described the desperate situation in a so called ‘safe zone’ near to the conflict area; ‘The Sri Lankan army continues to shell and bomb places where people have sought asylum, even the safe zones. As people flee they are exposed to hot sun and to heavy rain. No food is available and they face starvation.’

Another Tearfund partner agency, World Concern Sri Lanka, which has been working on tsunami-recovery programmes, has been able to support over 1,600 wounded people, including many women and children, who were evacuated from the conflict zone by boat. In the past 10 days these 1,600 casualties arrived at a northern hospital in need of surgery, antibiotics and trauma support. World Concern is providing food, clothing and other items as needed to both the patients and the hospital. Some 2800 more casualties – at least seven boat loads – are expected to arrive in the coming days, according to the Sri Lankan army colonel controlling the security in the hospital.

Sri Lanka’s government is directing civilians into camps that have few basic facilities and movement is strictly controlled. The World Food Programme is providing food but otherwise there is currently no other humanitarian access. The government has indicated that it wants people to stay in these camps for at least a year while its troops clear their homelands of Tamil Tiger rebels and weapons.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – more commonly known as the Tamil Tigers – began their military campaign in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka's north east region. Tearfund has been actively working in Sri Lanka for the last thirty years.

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