The northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi – former capital of the defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – is struggling to address the needs of thousands of returnees.
According to Sri Lankan military officials, more than 24,000 people or close to 30 percent of the town’s original population have returned since December – many of whom are living in tents.
Aid agencies pulled out of the town in September 2008 as the decades-long conflict intensified.
FLYGTEDE FRA BORGERKRIG
The Sri Lankan Army successfully captured the political headquarters of the LTTE in Kilinochchi in January 2009.
10 months since the government declared final victory over the LTTE in May 2009, Kilinochchi is grappling with an influx of returnees.
Before 2008, more than 90,000 people lived in the town, accessible through the strategic A-9 highway than runs between Kandy and Jaffna.
The town was completely evacuated during the Kilinochchi offensive, while much of the infrastructure – including schools, hospitals, water and electricity supplies – was badly damaged or destroyed, with nearly 80 percent of all homes affected.
Thousands of residents fled the city en masse in the conflict’s final days, only to find themselves in displaced people’s camps in the town of Vavuniya or elsewhere.
MANGLER BOLIGER OG SANITET
Since the government decision to allow residents to return to their places of origin, ensuring quality returns over quantity is also proving a major challenge.
– Lack of proper housing and water facilities is a major problem, one local aid worker in Kilinochchi, who asked not to be identified, told IRIN.
Many homes were damaged, leaving occupants particularly vulnerable to the southwest monsoon rains, which begin in June and run to October.
– Our makeshift houses lack proper roofs, Kumari Devarasa, a housewife who resettled last month, told IRIN.
– The houses lack basic toilet, water and electricity facilities. It’s a very hard life, she said.
KNIBER MED HJÆLP
Residents say the government has provided assistance, including wood, to build and repair their homes, while others continue to live in tents provided by NGOs.
Others still complain about access to health and education, and that the government cannot afford to provide proper help.
