It looks like the conflict in northern Sri Lanka is nearing its endpoint, judging from various news reports this week. There have been pressures on the Sri Lankan government to call a cease-fire, to allow humanitarian efforts to move forward, but the government has rejected that call.
Reuters has a helpful FAQ on the basics of the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka:
HOW MANY ARE TRAPPED?
That is a subject of great debate and confusion. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is less than 50,000, while the United Nations has said up to that number are in danger. Sri Lanka’s government estimates between 10,000 and 20,000. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) say it is 160,000. Diplomats say the number is immaterial with so many in harm’s way, and a host of nations have pushed for a humanitarian truce. The civilians are in a tiny strip of northern coast with the ocean to the east and a lagoon to the west, measuring no more than 5 square km (2 sq miles), according to the military.
HOW MANY HAVE BEEN KILLED AND WOUNDED?
A U.N. working document, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, said 6,432 civilians had been killed and 13,946 wounded in fighting since the end of January. A U.N. spokesman declined to comment on it. The government has consistently called casualty figures inflated to serve LTTE propaganda purposes, and the government and the rebels blame each other for killing civilians. Getting accurate information is nearly impossible, since very few people inside the war zone can be said to be free of rebel influence and few independent observers have been permitted in.
HOW MANY HAVE ESCAPED?
Early this week, the military said it had registered more than 113,000 since an exodus began a week earlier when troops punched through an earthen barrier the Tigers erected to block entry and exit. The government says more than 200,000 have left since the beginning of the year. Doctors treating the wounded pouring out said they suffered from horrific injuries from shelling and gunfire. (link)
From my point of view, the situation of the 200,000 displaced people who have escaped the “no fire zone” is probably the most urgent issue, and it is also clearly something that the international community can be directly involved in.
The UNHCR seems to be the relief agency that is mentioned most often in the articles I’ve been reading; if you’re concerned about the situation of these displaced civilians, as I am, you might want to donate something here.
A few more links:
A Reuters reporter gets a first-hand look at the war zone.
Rotary Club of Colombo Regency has a “Relief for Sri Lanka” blog
The Economist’s update on the conflict; it mostly agrees with Reuters and the New York Times
The U.S. has been planning to send relief money to the Sri Lankan government. The amount is a large sum — $1.9 billion — but the money has apparently been delayed, in order to pressure the government to do a better job looking after the displaced people.
There are also relief efforts in India, some of which are getting held up by various bureaucratic issues.
There have been big protests in Toronto, Canada, and London, England, held by members of the Tamil diaspora.
