For 25 years Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a brutal civil war between the Government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). More than 70,000 men, women and children have lost their lives during the conflict, a staggering 6,500 in the last three months alone. Tens of thousands more have been displaced from their homes.
On Sunday 17th May LTTE reportedly announced that they would "silence their guns", and some quarters have interpreted this as a sign that they are admitting defeat. There have been reports that several senior LTTE officials have been found dead, including latest (unconfirmed) reports that the LTTE leader himself, Prabakahran may have been killed in an abortive escape attempt. The government claims to have captured the last remaining area previously held by LTTE, and the fighting has reportedly stopped. This morning, the President addressed the nation from Parliament where he once again proclaimed victory and declared May 20 a public holiday. Widespread celebrations have been taking place cross the country since the weekend, including rallies, processions and fireworks.
However those displaced in the conflict are still stuggling to survive in over crowded camps. The 2002 ceasefire agreement was broken in January 2008 and the armed conflict intensified, with the Government scaling up its military offensive. The UN estimates that there are approximately 50,000 civilians trapped in what was the conflict zone without access to food, water, sanitation or adequate medical treatment.
Between 27 October 2008 and 06 May 2009 alone, some 192,094 people journeyed from the conflict zone to government-controlled areas where they were accommodated in camps, or transferred to hospitals for medical attention. These figures include a significant number of children; however, the exact figure is unknown at this time. The massive outflow of individuals from the conflict zone in recent weeks has placed considerable stress on the services and facilities at the camps. There have been reports of outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Hepatitis A. Although those affected have been placed in isolation it is clear the threat such outbreaks pose on health in the camps.
At the moment the most urgent issues that Plan is looking to address are:
Sufficient supplies of safe water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Adequate sanitation facilities including the availability of separate latrines for men/boys and women/girl with hand washing stations, and functioning drainage and solid waste disposal systems.
Appropriate medical services including providing facilities with essential medicines, medical equipment and other supplies.
Plan will support the Department of Health in order to enable them to continue the delivery of quality health care services to the communities of Plan's working areas.
In the North, where Plan does not have a presence, we will work in partnership with a local NGO with an existing presence in the camps to meet the immediate needs of those made homeless. Plan will focus on water, sanitation and hygiene as well as health and nutrition.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A man carries a Sri Lankan national flag as he and others celebrate at a main street in central Colombo May 20, 2009. Sri Lanka's military declared total victory over the ...
