Two days ago, we posted about the mass exodus of civilians
from the area on Sri Lanka’s
north-east coast where fighting continues between the government military and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). An estimated 85,000 civilians
have managed to flee the area since Monday, but between 15,000 and 20,000
civilians remain trapped in the combat zone. Although about 1,200
metric tonnes of humanitarian assistance was scheduled to embark for the
area on April 19, the fighting has prevented this shipment from being delivered.
Civilians in the combat area must therefore continue to survive on aid that was
delivered as far back as April
1.
Unfortunately, those who have managed to cross into
government-controlled areas are finding themselves in a similar predicament. Most
civilians have fled to the northern town of Vavuniya where
available resources prove inadequate to accommodate the sudden surge of internally
displaced persons (IDPs). Menaca Calyaneratne,
spokesperson for Save the Children Sri
Lanka, asserts, “there is a mismatch between available resources and the
massive needs.”
“Women and girls have unique needs,” said Lene
K. Christiansen, a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) representative.
MADRE is partnering with Inform, a Sri Lankan human rights organization, to provide urgently-needed support for women and families struggling to survive. You can support our efforts by donating here.
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