Human Rights Watch today expressed deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka in the wake of the closure by the Sri Lankan army nearly five weeks ago of the only supply route to two crucial districts in the Vanni region of the island — an area under partial control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The international monitoring organization urged the Sri Lankan government and LTTE to reach an immediate agreement which would guarantee safe passage of civilians and essential supplies, as well as free and unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief agencies operating in these vulnerable areas.
"Conditions for the civilians trapped in northern Sri Lanka, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, have become critical," said Jeannine Guthrie of Human Rights Watch. "Civilians have been without adequate food, medical care and other humanitarian assistance for weeks, and the risk of acute malnutrition in children is growing."
Humanitarian assistance to civilians in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts in the Vanni region of northern Sri Lanka has come to a near standstill since movement was banned across the forward defense lines with the closing of the Pappamoddai checkpoint on June 26, 1999. International humanitarian agencies operating in the area have reported that thousands of civilians have been trapped without access to assistance on both sides of the checkpoint; families have been separated; and no food rations have been delivered for five weeks since the supply lines closed.
Aid agencies report that civilians are facing increasing difficulties obtaining any food — the availability of purchasable food is reportedly on the decline, and what is available for sale is becoming increasingly expensive and beyond the reach of most local families. The risk of serious health problems, particularly in children, is high.
Although some movement of international staff and patients was possible by Monday, for weeks humanitarian agencies were themselves trapped in the north of Sri Lanka and unable to transport supplies or their own personnel from the south to acutely vulnerable areas. The lives of patients requiring critical medical care have been endangered because transfers of patients had not been permitted since the closure. Human Rights Watch acknowledged the importance of the new transfers, but noted that less than ten of some one hundred patients in the Vanni currently awaiting transport to hospitals south of the checkpoint had been moved as of August 2.
Human Rights Watch also welcomed the lifting of a physical blockade on the offices of international agencies in the Vanni by demonstrators demanding that the organizations pressure the Sri Lankan military to open a supply route. International staff were prevented from leaving their office premises for more than a week. "These demonstrators may have believed they were serving the LTTE's interests by launching these protests. But they hampered essential relief work. We certainly hope the disruptions are not repeated." said Guthrie. The organization urged the LTTE to impress on the civilian population in its areas of control the critically important and nonpartisan role played by these agencies.
Although government officials responsible for distribution of assistance to the displaced in the two districts have apparently been granted permission to purchase food rations locally, distribution has not commenced. Human Rights Watch stressed that in the long run humanitarian agencies must be given safe access to all civilians: "The Sri Lankan government and the LTTE must guarantee free and unimpeded access to all people in need; a failure to do so is likely to lead to a humanitarian disaster."
A series of shorter checkpoint closures have disrupted the delivery of humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the Sri Lankan army's operation Rana Gosa in March 1999. This is the most serious and longest-running disruption to date and immediate action must be taken to ensure that food, medical aid and other assistance can reach the thousands of civilians currently trapped in northern Sri Lanka.
