Caritas appeals for $2.5 million to aid Sri Lanka war victims

The Vatican City-based humanitarian agency Caritas Internationalis has appealed for US $2.5 million to provide emergency assistance to the war victims in Sri Lanka.

The major appeal comes in the wake of over 120,000 people trapped in the war zone north-east areas. Most of it goes to those made homeless by the fighting, returnees and war affected families, especially women and children.

UN estimates that more than 4,500 civilians have been killed in the past three months as fighting intensifies between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers.

Caritas Sri Lanka Director Fr Damian Fernando says that the extent of human suffering in Vanni is unbearable.

"People face terrible suffering as they're under daily attack. Many children are caught in the war zone. Continuous shelling and displacement is taking its toll on the people who are constantly on the run. Access to medical help for the wounded is lacking. People have had little food or water for weeks," he said.

Caritas says the financial assistance will help 100,000 people with food, clean water, basic medicine, and counselling.

However, the organisation operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, says more than aid, there should be an end to the fighting or at least a ceasefire to allow evacuation of civilians.

Fr Fernando opines, "Both parties must ensure the suffering of the people stops."

"Caritas is calling on the government and the rebels to guarantee the protection of civilians. It is essential the bombing of safe zones is halted and that civilians are allowed to leave the combat zone. Only peaceful dialogue will ultimately find a solution to this conflict."

In addition, he urged the international community to be sensitive to the human rights violation occurring in the island nation where war has killed over 70,000 people.

"The international community must wake up to the suffering we're witnessing in Sri Lanka. We call on the UN to put Sri Lanka on top of its agenda and to use every means to press the warring parties to seek an end to the fighting through negotiation," he stressed.

The number of distraught Tamil civilians fleeing the war zone crossed the 100,000 figure Wednesday, Sri Lankan authorities said.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has expressed deep concern at the plight of civilians trapped in the war zone area.

The council's president called on Tamil Tiger rebels to lay down arms and let the UN access trapped civilians.

"We strongly condemn a terrorist organisation for the use of civilians as human shields and for not allowing them to leave the area of conflict," Mexican UN ambassador Claude Heller said.