Civilians remain at risk in heavy fighting

Intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka continues to threaten civilian lives, the UN warned on 30 January.



"We know from the intensity of the fighting and the position of [up to] 300,000 civilians - including 230,000 internally displaced persons - trapped in the Vanni pocket [in northeast Sri Lanka], that non-combatants are being injured and killed," Gordon Weiss, UN spokesman in Colombo, told IRIN.



Since 26 January, UN officials have reported heavy fighting and dozens of civilians being killed or injured.



"The UN and ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] were able to evacuate yesterday [29 January] more than 200 civilians wounded by the fighting, including 50 critically injured children," Weiss said. "However, this is by no means a full account of the casualties."



Safe passage



The Sri Lankan government on 29 January said it would ensure safe passage for the trapped civilians out of the conflict zone and requested the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to allow them free passage.



"I urge the LTTE, within the next 48 hours, to allow free movement of civilians to ensure their safety and security. For all those civilians, I assure a safe passage to a secure environment," President Mahinda Rajapakse said in a statement released on 29 January.



The UN welcomed the government initiative and reiterated calls for the Tamil Tigers to allow those civilians who wanted to do so to leave the pocket.



"The safety of these people is the responsibility of both the warring parties," said Weiss. "Yes, the LTTE should also agree to it, but in all circumstances the government has a responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens – as it has consistently recognised."



Breaches of human rights



As fighting intensified since early January between government troops and cadres from the LTTE in an ever-shrinking area in northern Mullaithivu and Kilinochchi Districts, about 300km north of Colombo, UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have raised concerns over the safety of civilians trapped in areas of fighting.



Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on 29 January: "People trying to flee the conflict areas are reported to have either been prevented from doing so, or to have been arbitrarily detained in special centres..



"It seems there may have been very grave breaches of human rights by both sides in the conflict, and it is imperative that we find out more about what exactly has been going on. It is also urgent that civilians in the north can find safe shelter away from the fighting."



Pillay said civilians had been prevented from leaving the areas of fighting by the Tamil Tigers and "safe zones" declared by the government within the no-fire zone had come under bombardment, leading to civilian casualties.



"The perilous situation of civilians after many months of fighting, multiple displacements and heavy rains and flooding is extremely worrying," Pillay said.



The ICRC said it had been able to send 16 trucks organised by government agents in the two districts to the conflict areas with 170MT of food provided by the World Food Programme on 29 January, despite the dangerously fragile situation.



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