Search
  1. Home
  2. Asia
  3. Sri Lanka

IDP resettlement on track, says Sri Lankan government

Nalini Vijayarani, 36, resettled in Kilinochchi on December says " Ourconditions are extremely hard. Its been four months till we resettledbut we are still struggling with housing" Udara Soysa/IRIN
    BANGKOK

    More than 16 months after the defeat of the separatist Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam, the Sri Lanka government says it is on target to resettle more than 280,000 conflict-displaced people.



    “The centres will close by the end of the year,” senior Ministry of Resettlement official M.B. Dissanayake told IRIN, referring to a string of government camps set up in the final months of the decades-long war to house internally displaced persons (IDPs).



    According to the government, some 265,000 people have been resettled in their villages since late 2009, while another 27,000 IDPs remain in five sites at Menik Farm - the largest of the camps, outside Vavuniya. Of the 47 sites set up by the government, just these five remain in operation.



    But with demining efforts still at an early stage and a heavy monsoon season expected, aid groups warn that the push to return may be premature.



    nb/cb

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join