COLOMBO, 27 January 2009 (IRIN): The UN has warned that hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in areas of heavy fighting in Sri Lanka’s north are in serious danger.
At least 230.000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have retreated to a small patch of territory where government forces are engaged in heavy fighting with cadres from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Mullaithivu and Kilinochchi Districts about 300km northeast of the capital, Colombo.
– The situation of the civilians is increasingly untenable, Gordon Weiss, UN spokesman in Sri Lanka, told IRIN.
-They are directly in the path of the fighting and we have many reports of clusters of civilians being killed and wounded by artillery fire.
He told IRIN that UN staff trapped in bunkers on the northern A35 route had witnessed the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians over the past weekend as shells fell around them.
Clashes are likely to intensify in the coming days with government forces gaining control of Mullaithivu, the last major town under LTTE control, on 25 January.
– With the capture of the LTTE’s main garrison town, Mullaithivu, Sunday all seven offensive elements of the Sri Lanka Army are now sweeping up remaining LTTE pockets towards the north-eastern coast of the island, the Defence Ministry stated Monday.
The UN is engaged in discussions with the LTTE to move out its local staff and dependents to safer areas. On 22 January, the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka released a statement criticising the LTTE for not allowing local staff and their dependents to move out safely.
Læs hele artiklen: www.irinnews.org
