The forgotten war of Sri Lanka

Schoolgirls in the southern Indian city of Chennai form a human chain to protest against the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, October 24, 2008 [REUTERS/Babu (INDIA), courtesy www.alertnet.org ]

CAFOD's Mary Lucas highlights the cause of the growing numbers of civilians caught in the crossfire of northern Sri Lanka’s escalating conflict

Violent clashes between government forces and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in the Vanni region of northern Sri Lanka have intensified in the past few months.

The constantly shifting frontlines have forced civilians to flee their homes to escape the fighting. But they have been unable to move out of the region.

The Sri Lankan government has announced its intention to provide "humanitarian corridors" that will allow civilians to move away from the fighting to government-controlled areas in Vavuniya district.

But most of the civilian population in the Vanni live under LTTE control.

Reluctant to leave

The LTTE requires that all civilians wanting to travel to government-held areas nominate one family member to stay behind as guarantor. No surprise, then, that people are reluctant to leave.

The LTTE also has a policy of demanding “one person per family” – each family must hand over one member, often a young boy or girl, to be recruited into its ranks.

At the beginning of September, the Sri Lankan government told the UN and international NGOs to leave the Vanni as it could no longer guarantee their safety. They’ve now relocated to Vavuniya.

Local church agencies are so far allowed to remain, and Caritas, a CAFOD partner, still has branches operating in the Vanni.

An estimated 230,000 displaced people are currently trapped in the Vanni. The UN and INGOs struggled to care for them when they were based in the region.

Now that almost all the agencies have gone, what will be the fate of these people?

Fallen through the gap

Some families in Vanni have been displaced six or seven times and are likely to be displaced again and again. It is usually possible to tell how many times a family has been displaced.

The first time, they can afford to hire a tractor to transport themselves, their livestock and belongings.

The second or third time, they pile their belongings onto a bicycle, as most of their money has been spent on food.

By the fourth time, they have to walk as they have used up all their savings.

Many families take along the woven roof panels, poles and tarpaulins supplied by aid agencies so they can erect temporary huts in their new locations.

For some, though, who have fallen through the gap, there are only the trees to shelter under. With the monsoons approaching, their situation will soon be unbearable.

I recently went to a Caritas Sri Lanka meeting in the country’s capital Colombo. The representatives – from all parts of Sri Lanka – felt it important to highlight what is happening in the Vanni.

Sri Lankans feel forgotten by the outside world and are saddened that the international community is not doing enough to influence the Sri Lankan government to step back from war and look for a peaceful solution.

A Caritas worker who had recently accompanied an aid convoy into the Vanni described the dreadful conditions of some families – living under trees, without safe water or toilet facilities, some with only the clothes they stood up in.

He radiated agony and desperation at the apparent abandonment of his people.

The meeting agreed to call the attention of Caritas Internationalis to the situation in Vanni and alert this worldwide Catholic network to the need for increased humanitarian assistance.

Since I returned, Caritas Mannar has sent in 40 metric tonnes of food, while Caritas Vanni is building 150 temporary shelters with common latrines and is helping distribute food brought in by the UN lorries when they can get through.

According to the Conflict Data Programme of the University of Uppsala, Sweden, the war in Sri Lanka ranks as the third worst in the world, behind Iraq and Afghanistan and ahead of Somalia.

The Sri Lankan government claims it has killed more that 11,000 LTTE combatants over the past two years.

Even if this figure is exaggerated, when the number of government soldiers and civilians is added on, it can well be believed that a major war is going on in Sri Lanka – a war that does not reach our newspapers or TV screens.

Please stand in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. Pray for all those families who have been caught up in the conflict and pray that peace prevails.

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