Shyamali Puvimanasinghe

The situation is indeed a shift from the frying pan to the fire; more aptly from the fighting to the food shortages, starvation and flooding, to total and utter frustration. This is the plight of people in Northern Sri Lanka.

They have lived amidst one of the most prolonged and ferocious armed conflicts for the past 25 years—with its escalations and ceasefires; fleeting hopes of peace and frustrations of renewed conflict. Sliding into yet another war with its all too familiar consequences of displacement, death and disappearances must indeed be a terrible calamity.

Only a few years ago they were afforded a brief respite from the horrors of wars. This was in the aftermath of the Norwegian brokered peace accord entered into, in February 2002; between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).

But now they are back in the throws of one of the fiercest phases of this war. The government forces are on an all out onslaught to capture Tiger strongholds in the Wanni and beyond; The Tigers are fighting back, with all their might.  Caught in-between are an estimated 230,000 to 300,000 internally displaced, innocent and vulnerable people, according to the latest figures from UN and other international agencies.

As the fighting approaches their doorsteps people are being forced to flee their homes. Some have found temporary shelter in schools, churches and other buildings. Many are living on roadsides, under trees and open fields. There is a desperate need for food, medicine, sanitation facilities and shelter.

The innocent and vulnerable are truly trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one hand the Tigers have upped forced recruitment and prevent people from moving to safer areas. The backbone of any guerrilla movement is the people—amidst whom they hide and fight. Now they use civilians as a ‘buffer’, as human shields.

For those who escaped, life is a continuing agony. Because They had lived with the Tigers, they are treated with suspicion. Reportedly, around 700 people who fled the Wanni continue to be confined to camps in adjoining Mannar district since March 2008. More recent arrivals are detained in Vavuniya and Jaffna. They fear the real possibility of being arbitrarily arrested, detained and even tortured due to their previous place of abode.

In September, the government ordered UN agencies and International NGOs to vacate the Wanni, citing security concerns. These groups had acted as a life line to those thousands displaced, provided vital food, medicine and shelter. People were seen begging them to stay behind fearing the consequences of their departure. 

However the groups insist, they have ample experience working in zones of conflict, such as Somalia, Iraq and the Congo. The more plausible reason, it is believed, is that the absence of outside monitors will enable the government to conduct its war unhampered by humanitarian and human rights concerns.

November to January is the monsoon period in the northeast of Sri Lanka. This year, on top, a cyclone swept through the region, wreaking destruction and massive flooding in its wake. An estimated 80,000 had to be relocated; but government restrictions have prevented emergency relief such as food and shelter material from reaching those worst affected.

Currently, 95% of the displaced do not have proper toilet facilities. An estimated 5,230 temporary latrines are required; but government blockade of cement has hindered the construction of toilets as well as much needed shelter. Having ordered the international agencies out, the government has taken upon its shoulders, the responsibility of providing for the population. According to UN and other international NGOs, the government clearly lacks this capacity.

Additionally, the Catholic Bishops of Jaffna and Mannar have desperately made pleas to the government to stop aerial bombing, shelling and gun ship firing at indiscriminate targets, causing untold injury and traumatising civilians.

Repeated requests have also been made to lift the September order barring humanitarian agencies from the Wanni conflict area so that immediate assistance (food, medicine and shelter) could be provided to displaced people. The Anglican Bishop of Colombo has suggested the involvement of an inter-religious body if international agencies cannot be involved.

Yet all these requests seem to bounce off indifferent ears. Instead, the government insists this is a war to liberate the people. The Tigers claim they are fighting for a homeland—also for the people. Eventually, the people are left with only perpetual misery devoid of even the basics of human dignity and respect.

Alas, without the requisite political will, or international outcry, it is indeed difficult to envisage tangible change in the lives of the wretched people of the Wanni.