Situation
In
violation of International Humanitarian
Law (IDL) and International Human Rights
Law (IHRL) the Government of Sri Lanka
(GoSL) continues to deny Humanitarian
Agencies, including the UN and ICRC,
access to the 15,000 Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Vaharai
Division of Batticaloa District in the
NorthEast. These IDPs were
displaced from the Muttur, Sampoor, and
Eachchilampattu Divisions of the
Trincomalee District beginning in August
2006.
The GoSL has denied access by the
international humanitarian community and
enforced an embargo on the
transportation of food, medicine,
shelter, and non-food relief items
(NFRI) to the area since 29 November
2006.
The situation is now critical as all
food supplies have been exhausted and
the GoSL has denied permission for any
food convoys to proceed to the area.
Starvation is imminent for the 15,000
IDPs. Most of these IDPs were
displaced with only the clothes on their
back in August and September 2006. The
IDPs have subsisted on the bare minimum
required to keep them alive and are now
malnourished. Throughout the crisis the
GoSL has restricted the transportation
of food, medicine and all other
humanitarian relief to the area and has
allowed only token convoys of relief on
an ad hoc basis restricting the amount
allowed per convoy to only approximately
60% of the required amount. The last
convoy allowed into the Vaharai area was
on 29 November and at that time only
carried 2 weeks worth of supplies for
the IDPs.
The restriction on the freedom of
movement of international humanitarian
personnel, and the ensuing denial of
access to IDPs on the pretext of
“security” in situations of armed
conflict, in which the suspension is
used for military and political
objectives, and on a discriminatory
basis is also a violation of
International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Continuous and unrestricted
access to the internally displaced means
not only access for the provision of
assistance and related protection, but
also unrestricted access for regular and
systematic needs assessments and
follow-up monitoring. Due to the fact
that no international organizations have
been allowed into the Vaharai area since
29 November, there is a dearth of
information available to humanitarian
organizations, the media and the public
at large. Access must be allowed so that
needs assessments can be performed by
the international humanitarian community
and the necessary assistance and
protection can be provided to the IDPs.
International Humanitarian Law (IDL) and
International Human Rights Law (IHRL)
The GoSL’s denial of access to the IDPs
and the denial of the food and medicine
are violations of International
Humanitarian Law and International Human
Rights Law. Article 54 of
the Additional Protocol I
to the Geneva Conventions
and Article 14 of Additional
Protocol II both state that,
“Starvation of civilians as a method of
warfare is prohibited.”
Principle 10, 2 (b) of the United
Nations’ “Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement” states
that, “Internally displaced persons
shall be protected, in particular,
against: (b) Starvation as a method of
combat; (d) Attacks against their camps
or settlements.”
Principle 18, 2
further states that, “At the minimum,
regardless of the circumstances, and
without discrimination, competent
authorities shall provide internally
displaced persons with and ensure safe
access to: (a) Essential food and
potable water; (b) Basic shelter and
housing; (c) Appropriate clothing; and
(d) Essential medical services and
sanitation.
Principle 25,
states that,
1.
The primary duty and
responsibility for providing
humanitarian assistance to
internally displaced persons lies
with national authorities.
2.
International
humanitarian organizations and other
appropriate actors have the right to
offer their services in support of
the internally displaced… Consent
thereto shall not be arbitrarily
withheld, particularly when
authorities concerned are unable or
unwilling to provide the required
humanitarian assistance.
3.
All authorities
concerned shall grant and facilitate
the free passage of humanitarian
assistance
and grant persons engaged in the
provision of such assistance
rapid and unimpeded access to the
internally displaced.
Additionally, the UN Security Council,
in a resolution, S.C. res. 794 (1992)
condemned the intentional usage of
starvation as a method of warfare in an
internal armed conflict.
The
GoSL is also in violation of the
following:
International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
·
The prohibition on
starvation of civilians as a method of
combat (Additional Protocol II, article
14);
·
Provision of special
protection and right to relief for the
wounded, the sick and children
(Additional Protocol II, articles 4, 5,
7 and 11);
·
Permitting impartial
and humanitarian relief actions for the
civilian population (Additional Protocol
II, article 18).
International Human Rights Law (IHRL)
·
The Freedom of movement of
all, including humanitarian personnel
(the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, article 13, and the Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, article 13);
·
Right to survival and
development, including food, medical
treatment and shelter (the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, article 3;
the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, articles 11
and 12; the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, articles
12 and 14; and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, articles 6 and 22).
TRO
APPEAL
TRO
appeals to the GoSL and LTTE to follow
the United Nations Secretary-General’s
call on 16 January for “all sides in the
conflict to ensure open and safe access
by humanitarian actors in Sri Lanka to
affected areas, while maintaining the
neutrality and security of schools,
hospitals and religious institutions as
"safe zones.”
TRO
once again requests that the GoSL
designate the Vaharai Hospital and
surrounding schools, which are being
used by TRO as IDP shelters, as “Safe
Zones”. The LTTE and TRO have
conveyed this request to the ICRC and
the GoSL in the past without any
response.
Food and NFRI Convoys to the Vaharai
area
Date of Convoy or Date of UN
IASC-CT Situation Report
http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka
|
Organization |
Description
of items in convoy
All information is from UN
Inter-Agency
Standing Committee Country Team
Situation Reports (http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka/) |
12 August 2006 |
GA/ICRC |
6 trucks of
WFP food (71.7 MT of mixed food
commodities, sufficient for
4,000 families/ 20,000 people
for 1 week), 4 trucks of NFRIs
(mainly ICRC but also with
UNICEF and UNHCR goods)
|
25 August 2006 |
UNICEF /
UNHCR |
NFRIs (UNHCR: 300 Kitchen sets,
300 Laundry soap, 600 Bed
sheets, 200 Ropes UNICEF : 300
Jerry cans, 300 Lux soap, 600
Sleeping mats, 200 Tarpaulin
sheet, 600 Towels) to IDPs
staying at Vaharai School and
its surrounding area on 25th
August. |
1 September 2006 |
GA / ICRC UNICEF / UNHCR
|
NFRIs (mats,
bed sheets, jerry cans, soap and
towel) at a Vaharai School
|
8 September 2006 |
GA/ICRC |
2-week dry food ration through
the MPCS voucher system to 3,478
families across 10 of the 12 DSs
hosting IDPs. IOM provided 4
lorries to WFP. |
13-15 September 2006 |
GA/WFP and
others |
food dispatched this week is
sufficient to meet the weekly
food needs of approximately 60%
of the 11,000 IDP families
(42,880 persons) in the area.
1,428 IDPs in Vellavelly are
being provided with food
assistance by GA/WFP. Present
food assistance needs are only
covered until approximately 25th
of September |
18-20
September
2006 |
GA/WFP |
IDPs in
Korolai Pattu North DS (Vaharai)
have been provided with food
assistance by GA/WFP; the food
dispatched is sufficient to meet
the weekly food needs of
approximately 50% of the more
than 11,000 IDP families hosted
in the area |
02-04 October 2006 |
GA/WFP |
1 week food rations to 10,000
families in Vaharai. 2 weeks
food rations to 116 families in
Vellavelly. |
31-October
2006 |
GA/WFP |
Convoy sent,
details not available at time of
publication |
29 November
2006 |
ICRC/UN |
A two week
supply of food, 1000 tents, 300
boxes of fortified biscuits and
20 tonnes of other fortified
food stuff for children and
pregnant women, 1000 hygiene
kits |
Arjunan Ethirveerasingam
Project Manager