At the end of a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, urged that combatants ensure the safety of tens of thousands of civilians who remain trapped within areas of heavy fighting in northern Sri Lanka.
"I fear the reality is that a significant number of civilians are killed every day [within the combat zone]," Holmes said at a joint press conference with government officials held in Colombo on 21 February.
Holmes did not cite specific civilian casualties but said that reports he had received indicated that many civilians were dying and many more injured on a daily basis due to fighting in parts of Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu districts, about 300 km north of the capital, referred to as the 'Vanni Pocket' by the UN.
"We need to ensure that the civilian population can escape as soon as possible from the position they find themselves in, which is extremely dangerous," Holmes said at the end of his three-day mission in Sri Lanka. "Every effort should be made by the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam [LTTE] to avoid civilian casualties - that is the message."
Sri Lankan government forces have encircled the LTTE in about a 100-sq-km narrow swath of land.
In December 2008, before fighting escalated in the Vanni Pocket, the UN estimated that 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were in the area, while government figures today put that figure at less than half that amount.
Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lankan Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, said at the press briefing with Holmes that over 36,000 civilians had escaped the fighting in the Vanni Pocket and crossed behind government lines since January.
During his meeting with Holmes on 21 February, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said that government forces were making every effort to minimize civilian casualties.
"These are all my people, they are citizens of my country and their safety is foremost to me," President Rajapakse told Holmes, according to a statement by the Defence Ministry.
Conditions at transit sites
During his mission Holmes toured transit sites near the town of Vavuniya, 250 km north of the capital and about 100 km south of the combat zones, where most civilians who fled the fighting are now staying.
Holmes confirmed the good cooperation between UN agencies and government authorities in providing assistance to those who fled the combat zones, but added, "We have some concerns. There are clearly a lot of fears about these camps. We are not completely satisfied."
Holmes said that he had raised with government officials and the president the issues of freedom of movement for those living at the transit sites, the presence of military personnel and the screening process of those arriving from combat zones.
"I was reassured by the government, including the president, that they [the concerns] would be addressed," Holmes said. "The important thing is not words but action and we will be following up."
Disaster management and human rights minister Samarasinghe said the strict security measures in place at IDP centres had been put in place to prevent LTTE fighters mingling with civilians. He said 250 people who had fled the Vanni Pocket had already revealed that they were with the LTTE.
Holmes said that since 18 February, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had been present at the screening sites north of Vavuniya. He added that the UN's Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) had released US$10 million to assist those civilians fleeing the fighting and the World Food Programme (WFP) would increase its deliveries of food to civilians trapped in the combat zones.
No overland food convoys have travelled into the combat zones since 29 January, due to security risks. However, on 18 February the government began ferrying food - with an initial shipment of 40 metric tonnes - to the combat zones by ship and it hopes to increase shipments in the days ahead.
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"I fear the reality is that a significant number of civilians are killed every day [within the combat zone]," Holmes said at a joint press conference with government officials held in Colombo on 21 February.
Holmes did not cite specific civilian casualties but said that reports he had received indicated that many civilians were dying and many more injured on a daily basis due to fighting in parts of Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu districts, about 300 km north of the capital, referred to as the 'Vanni Pocket' by the UN.
"We need to ensure that the civilian population can escape as soon as possible from the position they find themselves in, which is extremely dangerous," Holmes said at the end of his three-day mission in Sri Lanka. "Every effort should be made by the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam [LTTE] to avoid civilian casualties - that is the message."
Sri Lankan government forces have encircled the LTTE in about a 100-sq-km narrow swath of land.
Displacement to worsen, aid agencies warnIn December 2008, before fighting escalated in the Vanni Pocket, the UN estimated that 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were in the area, while government figures today put that figure at less than half that amount.
Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lankan Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, said at the press briefing with Holmes that over 36,000 civilians had escaped the fighting in the Vanni Pocket and crossed behind government lines since January.
During his meeting with Holmes on 21 February, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said that government forces were making every effort to minimize civilian casualties.
"These are all my people, they are citizens of my country and their safety is foremost to me," President Rajapakse told Holmes, according to a statement by the Defence Ministry.
Conditions at transit sites
During his mission Holmes toured transit sites near the town of Vavuniya, 250 km north of the capital and about 100 km south of the combat zones, where most civilians who fled the fighting are now staying.
Holmes confirmed the good cooperation between UN agencies and government authorities in providing assistance to those who fled the combat zones, but added, "We have some concerns. There are clearly a lot of fears about these camps. We are not completely satisfied."
Holmes said that he had raised with government officials and the president the issues of freedom of movement for those living at the transit sites, the presence of military personnel and the screening process of those arriving from combat zones.
"I was reassured by the government, including the president, that they [the concerns] would be addressed," Holmes said. "The important thing is not words but action and we will be following up."
Disaster management and human rights minister Samarasinghe said the strict security measures in place at IDP centres had been put in place to prevent LTTE fighters mingling with civilians. He said 250 people who had fled the Vanni Pocket had already revealed that they were with the LTTE.
Holmes said that since 18 February, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had been present at the screening sites north of Vavuniya. He added that the UN's Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) had released US$10 million to assist those civilians fleeing the fighting and the World Food Programme (WFP) would increase its deliveries of food to civilians trapped in the combat zones.
No overland food convoys have travelled into the combat zones since 29 January, due to security risks. However, on 18 February the government began ferrying food - with an initial shipment of 40 metric tonnes - to the combat zones by ship and it hopes to increase shipments in the days ahead.
ap/bj/ed
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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