Sri Lankan humanitarian crisis far from over: Relief agencies

While euphoric Sri Lanka celebrates its victory over LTTE, Christian relief agencies warn the humanitarian crisis created by the conflict is far from over.

"Now that the Sri Lankan government has won the war, they must ensure that they win the peace," says Robin Greenwood, director of Christian Aid's Asia division.

According to Greenwood, the "priority now is to help those who have had to flee their homes to rebuild their lives."

"Tens of thousands more are likely to arrive in the coming days. But these camps are already severely over-crowded and unable to meet the basic food and shelter needs of those who are arriving."

Indicating the need for specialised counseling and psychological support, Greenwood said, "Many children have witnessed terrible scenes as they escaped with their parents to safety. Some saw their parents killed or were separated from them during the journey. These children will need intensive counseling in the months to come."

According to Christian Aid, "so far, no counseling has been available for those traumatised by the war." The relief agency hopes to "provide that in the coming months if the government allows outsiders to enter the camps."

Meanwhile, another international relief agency, World Vision, in a statement said the influx of last survivors of the conflict could overwhelm stretched aid agencies.

"At the end of April, there were already ten camps that were housing between two and five times their capacity," said Suresh Bartlett, World Vision's national director in Sri Lanka.

He says "over the last few days another 50,000 persons have come out" and "there are now almost 250,000 people in the displacement camps, which are already at breaking point. Among these are an estimated 80,000 children."

The shortage of water has also compounded relief woes, he says. "World Vision has provided more than 3 million liters of water over the past month, but the water table in the area was already low – we are being forced further and further afield to find water."

In addition to providing water, World Vision has provided 57 metric tons of food, 3,000 tarpaulins and more than 85,000 packs of cooked food.

Bartlett urged the international community to help break the cycle of violence that has gripped the country for so long, by funding both immediate relief efforts and longer term recovery and rehabilitation.

"It is important that donor nations look beyond the financial crisis and the politics of giving or not giving to Sri Lanka. We have already lost the futures of two generations of children to nearly three decades of war. This must not be allowed to continue."

The Sri Lankan government on Monday declared that it had "successfully ended the war" after the killing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.