From one secessionist war to another. Amnesty: Tens of thousands at risk in Sri Lanka as fighting escalates.
For 30 years the Tamil Tigers have controlled an area in the North of Sri Lanka known as the Vanni, with the town of Kilinochchi at its centre. Following a series of recent government victories in other areas, this area is now all that remains of the Tigers’ de facto separatist homeland state.
But maybe not for much longer. The entire region is surrounded by government forces, and is being squeezed on three fronts. The bubble is shrinking as the forward defensive lines are creeping in, slowly converging on Kilinochchi.
As the government forces advance, artillery fire and aerial bombardment advance ahead of them to soften up the enemy. It is this bombarding of civilian areas that has driven tens of thousands to flee their homes. With no safe passage offered to them through the government lines, they are forced to retreat towards Kilinochchi where they currently shelter in schools and in the open air along the main roads, waiting.
The Tigers are trying to prevent people from leaving, on the grounds that having civilians around is their best defence:
In the LTTE-controlled areas of the Vanni, the Tigers have hindered thousands of families from moving to safer places by imposing a strict pass system. Some individuals have been forced to stay behind as guarantors, to ensure the return of other family members...
"These people are running out of places to go and basic necessities," said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka researcher. "The Tigers are keeping them in harm’s way and the government is not doing enough to ensure they receive essential assistance."
Aid is still getting through to Kilinochchi for the time being. The UN in Sri Lanka is running a humanitarian mission rather than a political or peacekeeping one, and their priority is aid. They will not put any pressure on the government to protect civilians in case the aid lines are cut. Essentially the government is holding the people of the Vanni hostage while the Tigers forcibly recruit them or use them as human shields.
Those displaced who have somehow managed to make it out of the Vanni are being held by the Sri Lankan army in camps that are de facto open prisons, on the grounds that there are potential Tiger supporters amongst them.
There is a risk that the LTTE will also be forced to retreat to Kilinochchi to make their last stand. This possibility doesn’t bear thinking about, as it would mean that the heaviest shelling and bloodiest fighting may take place in the very place where over 160,000 war refugees have sought sanctuary. Already there are reports that shelter camps have been hit by artillery fire. At the first sign of danger to their own staff, there is no doubt that the UN and aid agencies would be forced to pull out, leaving the people to fend for themselves.
There is a chance that the squeeze will be halted, that the Tigers will be able to hold their ground or even retake areas that they have lost. However, the stakes are too high for the government to let that happen. They have promised to wipe out the LTTE before the end of the year, and they view this as the only option for ending the war.
Although always bullish and optimistic, government pronouncements on the war generally make guarded claims of progress. This caution has notably disappeared in recent days, replaced by a sense of triumphalism. The Prime Minister is confident enough to declare that Kilinochchi was almost within sight of their troops, and to predict that it would soon fall.
The situation therefore remains critical, with the potential to develop into a humanitarian emergency.
--
Links:
UNOCHA Sri Lanka website
Website of Sri Lanka's permanent mission to the UN
BBC: Kilinochchi 'may fall' before polls
AFP: Tamil Tigers tacitly admit losing ground...