ICRC News Release - Somalia: conflict and drought compound civilians' woes

Nairobi/Geneva (ICRC) – The longstanding armed conflict in Somalia is taking a heavy toll on the country's population. Thousands of people continue to flee the hostilities in Mogadishu. They either find refuge with relatives or host families or look for shelter in makeshift camps. In cooperation with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed a distribution last week of items such as blankets, kitchen sets, jerrycans, sleeping mats and clothes for 75,000 displaced people (IDPs) from Mogadishu in southern and central Somalia.

In the drought-affected Sool region, in the northern part of the country, 36,000 displaced people received a two-month ration of beans, rice and oil. In addition, 120,000 displaced people and residents in various parts of the country were given seed that will enable them to harvest tomatoes, onions, carrots and other vegetables in the upcoming months. The dire humanitarian situation is particularly difficult for children to bear.

"Somalia's children have never known what it is like to live in peace; armed violence has ravaged the country ever since they were born," said Dr Ahmed M. Hassan, the president of the Somali Red Crescent. "Although they have adapted their short lives to the situation, they deserve all the support they can get."

Thousands of children have to cope with the task of surviving in a hostile environment where there is a constant danger of being caught in crossfire. Child-care institutions across the country are doing their best to provide children with food, clothes and medical care, at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for civilians to contend with the deadly violence.

During the fasting month of Ramadan, the ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent are supplying various orphanages in Mogadishu and the Shabelle region with food. Around 5,800 children are receiving rice, flour, dates and oil. For Eid al fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the orphans will receive clothes.

The ICRC has been working in Somalia since 1977. It focuses on providing emergency aid and restoring family links for people directly affected by armed conflict, often in combination with natural disasters, and runs extensive first-aid, basic health-care and other medical programmes to treat the wounded and sick. It also carries out agricultural and water projects designed to improve the economic security of vulnerable communities over the medium term. It works closely with and supports the development of the Somali Red Crescent Society.

HALF OF SOMALIA’S POPULATION COULD GO HUNGRY, UN WARNS

Half of Somalia's population is in need of humanitarian assistance, according to a new United Nations report which finds that the conflict engulfing the Horn of Africa nation is pushing increasing numbers of people into hunger.

The Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/FSNAU) says that the crisis in Somalia is both widespread and severe, with some 3.76 people in need of humanitarian aid, up from 3.17 million in January.

"This signals a serious deterioration in the emergency food security and nutrition situation from earlier this year," according to Cindy Holleman, Chief Technical Advisor of the Unit.

She adds that perhaps more worrying is that the increased fighting is occurring in the same areas that are now recording the greatest problems of food access and malnutrition and which are largely inaccessible to aid workers.

Emergency nutrition levels in several parts of the country have deteriorated further since January, with one in five children, up from one in six earlier this year, now acutely malnourished and one in 20 severely malnourished, among the highest rates in the world.

In the whole of Somalia, nearly 300,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, of whom 70,000 are severely malnourished and are at an increased risk of death without appropriate specialist care.

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has skyrocketed since the start of the year, surging 40 per cent to 1.42 million people, and the conflict's epicentre in central and southern Somalia has also faced droughts due to several consecutive seasons without adequate rainfall.

With livestock having been decimated, the new report notes that in these areas, up to 75 per cent of the population can be characterized as living in a humanitarian emergency.

In a related development, the top UN envoy to Somalia called, on the occasion of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, for an end to armed violence in the country.

In a letter to the Somalia diaspora, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said that fighting continues to rage even though there are no more Ethiopian troops in the capital, Mogadishu.

"What reason is there now to continue fighting unless it is to capitalize on the insecurity for personal gain?" he asked. "What moral justification is there for instilling fear and terror in the population?"

The time has come, the envoy said, to "end this long conflict at home, that of Somalis fighting Somalis," stressing the need to seize the opportunity to bolster the country's fledgling Government.
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FOOD AID REACHED 280,000 PEOPLE UPROOTED IN POST-CONFLICT SRI LANKA – UN

FOOD AID REACHED 280,000 PEOPLE UPROOTED IN POST-CONFLICT SRI LANKA – UN
New York, Jun 8 2009 6:00PM
Basic food supplies were distributed to around 280,000 people last month following the end of the conflict between Government forces and rebels in north-east Sri Lanka, the United Nations humanitarian wing announced today.

Over 2,200 megatons of food was dispersed, with supplemental food – particularly a corn soya blend – being delivered to underweight young children, as well as to pregnant and lactating women, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA).

For its part, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) and other agencies providing shelter have built 6,500 emergency structures and over 13,000 tents to date, with more being erected as land is cleared.

OCHA reported that water and sanitation has been a huge challenge, but progress is being made, with half of the latrines needed in place and water currently being provided for 75 per cent of overall drinking and bathing needs.

As of 5 June, 40 per cent of the $155 million needed for the 2009 Common Humanitarian Action Plan for Sri Lanka has been received, and an additional $28 million pledged.

Last month, Sri Lanka's Government declared that its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was over, ending more than two decades of fighting.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week repeated his appeal to the South Asian island nation's Government to heed international calls for accountability and transparency, and for an inquiry into alleged abuses committed during the recently concluded conflict with Tamil rebels.

"It is crucially important that the Sri Lankan Government follow up on all the promises that they have made," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1296">told reporters following an informal discussion with Security Council members on Sri Lanka.

"Whenever and wherever there are credible allegations of violations of humanitarian law, there should be a proper investigation," he said, adding that any inquiry must be supported by UN Member States and be "very impartial and objective."

The Secretary-General also stressed that it was time to unite, and warned against "the risk of triumphalism in the wake of victory," as this will hinder ongoing efforts by the Sri Lankan Government and people, and the international community, to help heal the wounds inflicted during the long-running conflict.
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FUNDS NEEDED TO REACH 2.6 MILLION DISPLACED PAKISTANIS WITH FOOD AID, SAYS UN

FUNDS NEEDED TO REACH 2.6 MILLION DISPLACED PAKISTANIS WITH FOOD AID, SAYS UN
New York, Jun 3 2009 3:00PM
Without the contribution of urgently-needed funds, the United Nations and its partners will only be able to feed the 2.6 million Pakistanis forced to flee clashes between the Government and militants for the next month or two, it was announced today.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA), the world body has less than half of the $280 million sought to meet the food needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan.

In addition, the $543 million Humanitarian Action Plan launched late last month is only 22 per cent funded.

OCHA also warned that current stocks of essential drugs will run out by the end of this month. There is already a shortage of hygiene kits and soap in all camps housing some 200,000 of the uprooted, it added.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/hac/crises/pak/releases/3june2009/en/index.html">WHO) said today that the portion of the Action Plan dedicated to health needs is only 11 per cent funded.

There is a high risk of communicable disease outbreaks due to overcrowding, contaminated water, poor sanitation and inadequate health care provision, among other factors, WHO said, cautioning that a funding shortfall will impede abilities to detect and contain outbreaks.
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SRI LANKA: BAN STRONGLY REJECTS UN AS SOURCE OF CASUALTY REPORTS

SRI LANKA: BAN STRONGLY REJECTS UN AS SOURCE OF CASUALTY REPORTS
New York, Jun 1 2009 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his strong concerns over "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in the conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and Tamil rebels, while rejecting in the strongest terms any figure attributed to the United Nations.

Briefing the General Assembly today on his recent visit to Sri Lanka and other travels, Mr. Ban said media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians may have been killed during the last phase of the conflict "do not emanate from the UN and most are not consistent with the information at our disposal."

Last month, Sri Lanka's Government declared that its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was over, ending more than two decades of fighting.

"I categorically reject – repeat, categorically – any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately under-estimated any figures," the Secretary-General underscored.

"Let me also say, whatever the total, the casualties in the conflict were unacceptably high – as I have also said repeatedly," he added.

Mr. Ban told the Assembly that during his 22-23 May visit to the South Asian island nation, he pressed the Government to heed international calls for an inquiry into alleged abuses and underscored the need for full accountability and transparency.

"Any inquiry conducted by the international community would require, first, the full cooperation of the host government, or, second, the support of the UN Member States, expressed through the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly or the Security Council," he said.

At the Human Rights Council's special session on Sri Lanka last week, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that investigating abuses allegedly committed against civilians by both the Government and LTTE will help the country transition into a new future.

"There are strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians," Ms. Pillay had stated, with the LTTE being accused of using civilians as human shields and the Government reportedly using heavy weapons on the small and densely-populated area of conflict in northern Sri Lanka.

An "independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities," she said.

The Secretary-General today voiced hope that the authorities will follow through with a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sg2151.doc.htm">statement issued jointly with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the end of his trip, in which they stressed that addressing the aspirations and grievances of all communities, as well as finding a lasting political solution, is essential for long-term development following the long-running conflict's end.

Both leaders also agreed that with the conclusion of military operations, Sri Lanka has entered a new post-conflict phase and faces many obstacles relating to relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation.

"I stand ready to do whatever we can in the interests of justice, human rights and Sri Lanka's political future," the Secretary-General said in his address to the Assembly today.

His recent travels have also taken him to Bahrain and Geneva, where he addressed the Conference on Disarmament which adopted a programme of work last Friday, breaking an impasse that had last more than a decade.

Mr. Ban today also expressed his deep concern over the crisis in Pakistan, where 2 million people having been driven from their homes by clashes between the Government and militants in the past month. Some 400,000 people were uprooted in fighting last year, bringing the total number of displaced in the area to 2.4 million.

"The human suffering is immense," he said, emphasizing the need for international support to scale up the response of the international community and the Pakistani Government to the situation.

The UN and its partners launched an appeal for $543 million on 22 May, of which just over one-fifth has been funded to date. "If we do not get the rest of the funds, we will have to start cutting services," the Secretary-General warned, adding that there is a risk of a destabilizing secondary crisis.
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ICRC News Release - Pakistan: ICRC and Red Crescent step up emergency response to IDP crisis

Crescent Society (PRCS) are expanding their operations to reach up to 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-west Pakistan. Numbers are difficult to verify, but there are reported to be at least 2 million IDPs currently staying in camps and with host families in the region.

"In view of the considerable humanitarian needs, we have decided to significantly increase our efforts to help the displaced," said Katharina Ritz, ICRC deputy head of operations for South Asia. "The ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society are particularly well placed to do this as they have been working in this area for several months." The planned response includes the provision of emergency food and non-food aid and efforts to improve water, sanitation, and medical services. The ICRC and the PRCS will also expand their activities aimed at enabling separated families to re-establish contact.

The ICRC and the PRCS have invited Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to a meeting in Geneva on 5 June to discuss how best to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the ICRC has begun deploying additional personnel to Pakistan where it currently has about 100 international and 700 Pakistani staff.

"In addition to conducting these relief operations, we will intensify our dialogue with all parties on the conduct of hostilities and other concerns related to the protection of civilians affected by the fighting," added Ms Ritz. "The ICRC remains extremely concerned about the humanitarian consequences of the fighting in North-West Frontier Province, where the civilian population is once again bearing the brunt of the violence.”

DISPLACED PEOPLE STILL STREAMING OUT OF PAKISTAN CONFLICT ZONE – UN

DISPLACED PEOPLE STILL STREAMING OUT OF PAKISTAN CONFLICT ZONE – UN
New York, May 26 2009 12:00PM
Clashes between Government forces and militants in north-west Pakistan are continuing to uproot people from their homes, with nearly 130,000 people being registered daily as displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR).

The agency <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/media?page=home&id=4a1bbdbe2">said today that provincial government authorities have noted that the number of uprooted from the Swat, Lower Dir and Buner districts registered in a fast-track process since 2 May has now reached almost 2.4 million people. However, UNHCR cautioned that these figures are being verified and could change.

Currently, the federal Government and provincial authorities are discussing how to provide further aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) beyond the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters.

"Many people are still reportedly stranded in the conflict zones," he said, adding that the curfew in effect in the area is lifted for only several hours, with roads becoming quickly congested with people rushing to escape the area.

The fare for a bus ride from Mingora, in Swat District, to Mardan town to the south has tripled from 2,000 rupees, or $24, to 6,000 rupees, or $74, according to those who have fled.

Mr. Redmond said that his agency is working with the Government to build separate shaded communal areas for men and women in several camps to provide access to cool areas. In sectors where there is electricity, these spaces have electric water coolers and fans, among other items.

Along with its partner agencies, UNHCR has begun distributing bricks to families to build individual kitchen stoves – to allow them to cook their own meals with rations from the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) – in some camps. Until now, they had been eating cooked meals distributed by the Government.

"At the same time, UNHCR continues to witness many acts of generosity from the Pakistani community towards their fellow citizens," Mr. Redmond said, noting that one private donor contributed food packages for over 2,000 people in Jalozai camp, which now houses a further 50,000 newly displaced people since 2 May.

Meanwhile, others are donating food, clothes and mattresses to thousands of families taking refuge in schools, he said. One woman who now lives in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but is originally from Mardan, travels every weekend to her hometown to bring cash, clothes and tea she collects from her friends to give to the displaced people, Mr. Redmond reported.

UNHCR is also boosting assistance to people living in schools in Mardan and Swabi districts, and is also planning to help the many uprooted people sheltering with relatives, friends or in rental accommodations.
Over the weekend, 36 tons of relief supplies – tents, plastic rolls, kitchen sets, jerry cans, soap, generators, water tanks and purification equipment – were airlifted to Islamabad by the Italian Government and donated to UNHCR.

Additionally, a UNHCR relief bank in Nowshera has been receiving in-kind donations, such as sleeping mats and water coolers, from private donors.

Mr. Redmond said that the agency is continuing to purchase more supplies within Pakistan and to ship items from its stockpiles around the world, but underscored that it "urgently needs funds to accelerate the purchase of relief supplies for its operation."

Last Friday, the UN and its partners launched a $543 million appeal to help the nearly 2 million people who have escaped the violence in NWFP.

In a statement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern that "Pakistan is currently witnessing rapid displacement on a massive scale."
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OVER 67,000 SOMALIS DISPLACED BY ESCALATING FIGHTING, REPORTS UN AGENCY

OVER 67,000 SOMALIS DISPLACED BY ESCALATING FIGHTING, REPORTS UN AGENCY
New York, May 26 2009 10:00AM
The number of Somalis fleeing the latest escalation of fighting in and around Mogadishu has surpassed 67,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) reported today, adding that worsening security has also hampered aid delivery to the capital.

Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several north-west areas of Mogadishu on 8 May.

According to UNHCR, most of the uprooted are heading to makeshift camps along the Afgooye corridor, south-west of Mogadishu. These sites are already hosting an estimated 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).

"Those displaced who are unable to make the 30-kilometre journey have sought refuge in south-western parts of Mogadishu that have not yet been overrun by fighting," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a1bbefb2.html">told reporters in Geneva.

The agency added that the deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around the capital.

"Local agencies that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy," Mr. Redmond said.

Starting today, UNHCR is distributing aid – including cooking sets, plastic sheeting and blankets – for some 50,000 people in the Afgooye corridor through its local partners in Somalia.

Somalia is one of the world's largest refugee-producing countries, and the number of Somalis fleeing to neighbouring countries continues to rise, the agency added.

In addition to providing protection and assistance to some half a million Somali refugees in nearby countries, including Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea and Tanzania, UNHCR is also coordinating aid for the 1.3 million displaced in Somalia.
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SRI LANKA: TOP UN OFFICIAL VISITS CAMPS FOR UPROOTED CIVILIANS

SRI LANKA: TOP UN OFFICIAL VISITS CAMPS FOR UPROOTED CIVILIANS
New York, May 21 2009 5:00PM
A senior United Nations official travelled today to camps housing civilians who escaped Government-rebel clashes in northern Sri Lanka, ahead of a visit by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who departs today for the South Asian island nation.

Earlier this week, the Government of Sri Lanka declared that its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had ended, and that the remaining civilians that were caught up in the conflict zone in the country's north-east had left.

Vijay Nambiar, Mr. Ban's Chief of Staff, today visited camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Vavuniya, where the majority of those escaping fighting are now living, and also saw the former conflict zone first-hand from a helicopter.

Also today, he met with V. Anandasangaree, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front, a Tamil political party. The two men discussed the situation of the IDPs remaining in the conflict zone – many of whom have either died, were injured or are missing – as well as the hospitals abandoned due to heavy shelling.

They also conferred on allocating more land to address overcrowding and the provision of necessary supplies, especially for children.

Tomorrow, Mr. Nambiar is scheduled to visit northern Sri Lanka and meet with members of the Tamil National Alliance who are also Parliament members. He is also slated to hold a press conference in the capital, Colombo.

Mr. Ban is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow for a two-day visit to get a first-hand look at the situation on the ground.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said that, according to the Sri Lankan Government, all IDPs have left the conflict zone and have gone through transit points. It has put the total number of uprooted people in camps at 272,000, out of whom 251,000 are in Vavuniya.

OCHA voiced concern about overcrowding at the camps at Menik Farm, where access is restricted for aid vehicles.

It also underscored the need for freedom of movement for people in camps to allow those who have been identified as non-combatants to be able to relocate and stay with host families, if they have the option.

Yesterday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed concern over conditions in the camps, including overcrowding and limited services.
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Pakistan: Taliban, Army Must Minimize Harm to Civilians

Humanitarian Situation in the Conflict Area Deteriorating

May 18, 2009

(New York) - The Taliban's use of landmines and human shields and the Pakistani army's aerial and artillery attacks are placing civilians at unnecessary risk in the continued fighting in Pakistan's Swat valley, Human Rights Watch said today.

Residents in the town of Mingora, the epicenter of the fighting, told Human Rights Watch that Taliban militants have laid landmines in the town and prevented many civilians from fleeing, using them as "human shields" to deter attack. Pakistani forces appeared to have taken insufficient precautionary measures in aerial and artillery attacks that have caused a high loss of civilian life. Human Rights Watch expressed concern that food and medical supplies were not reaching the population in the embattled area.

"The Taliban's use of landmines and human shields is a sorry addition to their long list of abuses in the Swat Valley," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "They urgently need to let civilians leave areas of fighting."

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) provincial government, told the media on May 17, 2009, that almost 2 million internally displaced persons had been registered by authorities. The government feared the number would rise by another 500,000 in the coming days as fighting continued. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, described the situation as, "a massive, massive displacement in the world today." Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the Swat valley and adjoining troubled areas, and are unable to leave because of fighting.

Mingora residents told Human Rights Watch that fewer than 10,000 civilians remain in Mingora. Taliban forces have prevented many from leaving, while others are too infirm or poor, or are unwilling to leave. Several thousand Taliban remain in the town. The Taliban also continued to use battery-operated FM radios and patrols to communicate with residents and impose their authority.

Swat residents still in the valley and people fleeing into the towns of Swabi and Mardan told Human Rights Watch that the Taliban had laid landmines in eight places in Sohrab Khan Chowk, a square in the center of Mingora. Sharifabad, a village near the Haji Baba area about three kilometers from Mingora, has been mined in four places. Residents have seen the landmines being planted, and the Taliban told civilians that they would be blown up if they walked on them. The use of antipersonnel landmines - which are inherently indiscriminate in their targets - and holding civilians as human shields are serious violations of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch said that the Pakistani army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, had given appropriate instructions to the army on May 13 to, "ensure minimum collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks, by resorting to precision strikes." However, Human Rights Watch has received several accounts of high civilian casualties in Pakistani military attacks. On May 8, 35 people, including 14 children and four women, were killed when Pakistani army mortar shells and missiles struck the Shahdra and Wathke neighborhoods of Mingora. Reportedly, none of those killed were Taliban fighters.

On May 11, the military's aerial bombardment of Matta, a Taliban-controlled district in central Swat, resulted in the deaths of at least three women and eight children, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Residents in the area said that on May 14, Pakistani armed forces attacked Taliban-controlled Takhtaband near the Mingora bypass road. Though residents said that civilians died in the attack, they had not been able to recover the bodies or ascertain the number of dead due to an ongoing curfew and the precarious security situation. The laws of war require warring parties to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm and prohibit attacks that do not distinguish between military targets and civilians.

"If Pakistan wants to win not just the battle for Swat but also a sustainable peace, its armed forces need to minimize civilian casualties and suffering," said Adams. "The people of Swat will expect the Pakistani government and armed forces to protect their safety both during the fighting and afterward."

Human Rights Watch said that because the area where the fighting continues is a closed military zone with journalists and human rights monitors barred from entering, it is currently not possible to verify this information independently. Local journalists have left the area, and the army is not permitting Pakistani reporters or foreign correspondents to enter. The area is under indefinite curfew, lifted only to allow civilians to flee.

Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Mingora. The town remained without electricity and fuel, food supplies were dangerously scarce and all hospitals and medical facilities remained shut. Pakistani authorities should consider all possible mechanisms, including airdrops, to ensure that food, fuel, and medical supplies reach those unable or unwilling to leave the conflict area.

AFRICAN UNION-UN ENVOY AND SUDANESE OFFICIAL DISCUSS RECENT FIGHTING IN DARFUR

AFRICAN UNION-UN ENVOY AND SUDANESE OFFICIAL DISCUSS RECENT FIGHTING IN DARFUR
New York, May 19 2009 5:00PM
The joint African Union-United Nations envoy to Darfur met with a senior Sudanese official today to discuss recent fighting in the strife-torn region and rising tensions between Sudan and Chad, a spokesperson for the world body said.

Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that the AU-UN Joint Special Representative, Rodolphe Adada, met with Minni Minawi, a former rebel who is now the Senior Assistant to the Sudanese President.

"They discussed the latest developments in Darfur, particularly the recent fighting between the Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA/MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). They also discussed rising tensions between Chad and Sudan," Ms. Okabe said.

Fighting between the two groups flared up some ten days ago in the north Darfur town of Umm Baru. Mr. Adada said the AU-UN peacekeeping mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamid/">UNAMID, had taken 26 people injured in the fighting to the North Darfur capital of El Fasher for treatment at a military hospital.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday voiced his concern at recent violence and tensions in the border area between Chad and Sudan and called on all parties to cease fighting.

"He underscores that there is no military solution to the situation in the sub-region and urges the Governments of Chad and Sudan to refrain from any act that may lead to a further escalation of tensions," his spokesperson said in a statement.

Last week Mr. Adada met with the Under-Secretary of the Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mutrif Siddiq, and Presidential Adviser, Mustafa Osman Ismail, during separate meetings in Khartoum.

In a briefing to the Security Council in April, Mr. Adada estimated that around 2,000 civilians have been in killed in Darfur since UNAMID deployed last year.

Some 15 peacekeepers have also lost their lives since the Security Council established UNAMID to protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million forced from their homes in more than five years of fighting, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.

Ms. Okabe said that in the past 24 hours, the military component of UNAMID conducted 72 confidence-building patrols, escorts, night patrols and investigative patrols in and around villages and camps for internally displaced persons.
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DISPLACEMENT IN PAKISTAN LARGEST AND FASTEST IN YEARS, SAYS UN REFUGEE AGENCY

DISPLACEMENT IN PAKISTAN LARGEST AND FASTEST IN YEARS, SAYS UN REFUGEE AGENCY
New York, May 19 2009 2:02PM
Almost 1.5 million people have escaped fighting between Government troops and Taliban militants in north-west Pakistan, the United Nations refugee agency said today, calling the displacement the largest and fastest to occur anywhere in the world in recent years.

According to the Social Welfare Department of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), 1.45 million people have been registered in 89 centres since 2 May.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a12d4482.html">UNHCR) António Guterres, who wrapped up a three-day visit to the area this weekend, has called on the international community for a massive influx of support to assist the surging numbers of uprooted people.

"It's like trying to catch something that's moving ahead of us because the number of people on the move every day is so big and the response is never enough," he said. "Leaving this population without the support they need – with such massive numbers – could constitute an enormous destabilizing factor."

Fewer than 10 per cent of the displaced are seeking shelter in camps, and the 1.5 million who have become internally displaced persons (IDPs) recently join over 500,000 others who fled clashes last year, bringing the total number of displaced to just over 2 million.

UNHCR has set up a relief bank and distribution centre in the NWFP town of Nowshera to both receive and hand out supplies such as pillows and soap. Similar centres are slated to open in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

The agency, in partnership with the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/stories/pakistan-wfp-produces-innovative-solutions-amid-idp-crisis">WFP) and the Pakistani Government, has set up humanitarian 'hubs' where IDPs can register, receive supplies and be directed into available shelter within local communities.

For its part, WFP is dispatching record amounts of wheat flour, rice, sugar and pulses, and plans to send enough supplies to feed 1.5 million people.
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ICRC News Release - Sri Lanka: ICRC makes urgent appeal for wounded to be given medical care

18 May 2009

Sri Lanka: ICRC makes urgent appeal for wounded to be given medical care

Geneva (ICRC) – For nine consecutive days the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been pursuing efforts, so far without success, to reach the area of north-eastern Sri Lanka hard hit by fighting in recent weeks. The ICRC has therefore been unable to obtain first-hand information about the needs of civilians and wounded people in the area. Although thousands of civilians have fled the conflict zone in the past days and weeks, the ICRC remains concerned about the wounded needing urgent medical care.

“Under international humanitarian law, the lives of all those who are not or are no longer fighting must be spared. Wounded and sick people must be collected and cared for immediately, and detainees must be treated humanely,” said the ICRC’s director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl, from the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva today. “This is all the more urgent since no humanitarian aid has reached those who need it for over a week.”

The ICRC has proposed to the authorities that it help evacuate any remaining civilians from the area where fighting has been taking place, care for the sick and wounded, and provide emergency assistance for the displaced. The ICRC will seize any opportunity that presents itself to enter the area and assess the situation.

SRI LANKA: UN EXPERT VOICES CONCERN OVER CIVILIANS’ SAFETY

SRI LANKA: UN EXPERT VOICES CONCERN OVER CIVILIANS' SAFETY
New York, May 15 2009 12:00PM
The United Nations advocate for displaced persons today expressed his concern over civilians caught up in clashes between Government forces and rebels in northern Sri Lanka, as well as for the ongoing confinement of uprooted people in camps.

At least 50,000 people are still trapped in the conflict zone – a tiny space of just several square kilometres on the northern coastline – and they are "exposed to great danger and without access to sufficient humanitarian access," said Walter Kälin, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Representative for the Human Rights of Displaced Persons.

The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is preventing civilians from leaving the area and placing military installations close to them, while, for its part, the Government has been using heavy weapons such as mortars in the conflict zone in recent days, he added.

"This combination of factors must have resulted in unacceptably high numbers of civilian casualties," Mr. Kälin underscored.

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement that heavy fighting earlier this week precluded it from evacuating the wounded and sick from the conflict zone and from delivering food to civilians.

"I call on the LTTE to let the remaining civilians go and both sides to agree to humanitarian pauses for that purpose as well as to allow humanitarian access to bring in much-needed food and medicines and evacuate the wounded," the Representative said.

Further, both sides are obligated to follow international humanitarian law, he emphasized. "Even if one party to the conflict is deliberately using civilians as human shields, the other party is still prohibited from carrying out attacks that are indiscriminate in their consequences or result in a disproportional loss of civilian life."

Mr. Kälin also expressed his concern over the dire living conditions in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) who escaped the conflict, with the influx of an additional 110,000 people during the last 10 days of April posing further challenges for the Government and its humanitarian partners.

"Ensuring adequate humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons is first and foremost a Government responsibility, especially since the Government decided to intern them in camps, citing security concerns," he said, adding that authorities continue to hold nearly 200,000 IDPs in temporary camps.

He further called attention to the need to screen and register the displaced without delay and to restore the freedom of movement for the large number of them who are not security risks.

"Prolonged internment of such persons would not only amount to arbitrary detention but it also aggravates the humanitarian situation needlessly," the Representative said.

Although he welcomes reports that, as of the end of last month, over 1,200 people – mostly elderly, mentally disabled and other vulnerable people – had been released from the camps, he voiced concern that some elderly people had died from starvation or malnutrition in the sites, calling on the Government to immediately release all vulnerable people still in the camps.

In a related development, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) <"http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-providing-meal-thousands-sri-lankans-fleeing-civil-conflict">announced today that it has started providing cooked meals at a Government screening point for thousands of people fleeing the fighting.

"For many, this will be the first hot meal they have had in days or perhaps much longer," said Adnan Khan, WFP Representative in Sri Lanka, adding that overnight, 3,000 people arrived in Omanthai.

IDPs must pass through screening points before they can move onto temporary transit centres in Vavuniya and Jaffna.

WFP, which is feeding nearly 200,000 people in northern Sri Lanka, is sending food supplies to Omanthai, where the agency, along with a local partner, are responsible for cooking and distributing food.

Since Tuesday, three attempts to deliver food by ship to the conflict zone have been unsuccessful due to the security situation, and the agency is appealing for an additional $42 million to meet the rapidly-increasing needs of IDPs.

In a telephone conversation with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his concerns about the protection of civilians caught up in the conflict.

"As you will recall, the Secretary-General urged the Government of Sri Lanka to explore all possible options to bring the conflict to an end without further bloodshed and to make public the terms under which that can be achieved without further loss of civilian life," UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters yesterday.

"He urged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to give sober and positive consideration of those terms."

Mr. Ban has also dispatched one of his top advisers, his Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, to Sri Lanka "to underscore his message and help to resolve the humanitarian situation there," Ms. Okabe said.

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ICRC News Release - Democratic Republic of the Congo: ICRC steps up efforts to help displaced people and their host communities

ICRC News Release No. 09/102

15 May 2009

Geneva/Kinshasa (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is stepping up its humanitarian activities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in response to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation that has taken place since autumn 2008. The lack of security arising from ongoing clashes and military operations is exacerbating the already bleak conditions for displaced people (IDPs) – estimated to number more than 300,000 – and their host communities in North Kivu and is having a devastating impact on people's livelihoods.

As a result, joint ICRC and Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo assistance programmes for displaced people, their host families and returnees in the Kivus will be more extensive than originally planned. To finance the expanded activities, the ICRC is asking donors for over nine million Swiss francs in additional funding, bringing its total 2009 budget for the DRC to over 62 million francs (more than 55 million US dollars).

"The lack of security currently being experienced is mainly due to skirmishes between armed entities and attacks on the civilian population – mainly in southern Lubero and in Masisi and Kalehe territories – marked by a high number of violations of international humanitarian law," said Max Hadorn, head of the ICRC delegation in Kinshasa. "The entire population is becoming increasingly vulnerable with each new wave of displacement, and some families have lost literally everything. But the worst is that they don't know what tomorrow will bring for them."

This budget extension will enable the ICRC and the DRC Red Cross to maintain and extend ongoing assistance programmes so that more people will benefit. By the end of the year, 244,000 people will have been provided with essential household items, 80,000 displaced people with emergency food rations and 195,000 people with seed and tools. In some cases, seed and tool distributions will be coupled with emergency food rations to enable those receiving the aid to grow food after returning home.

Other clear priorities for the ICRC and the DRC Red Cross are to reunite unaccompanied children with their families and to enable people who lost track of their loved ones as they fled to re-establish contact with them. The ICRC is currently striving to bring together unaccompanied children – some of them child soldiers – and 500 families looking for them.

The ICRC urges all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law. It reminds them of their obligation to protect and respect civilians, wounded people and people who have been deprived of their freedom in connection with the armed conflict.

UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS

UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS
New York, May 14 2009 5:00PM
The top United Nations refugee official today issued a call for a massive surge in international assistance to help the over 800,000 Pakistanis recently displaced by clashes between Government forces and militants in the country's north-west.

"This is not a moment for small gestures," High Commissioner António Guterres said during a visit to the Yar Hussein camp in the Swabi district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

He kicked off a three-day mission to Pakistan today to assess the emergency response of the UN refugee agency (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a0c3f742.html">UNHCR), which has been rushing aid to the region, to stem the ongoing displacement crisis.

Deploring the pace at which the displacement is occurring, Mr. Guterres emphasized that the time has come for the international community to repay Pakistan for its generosity in hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the years.

Since 2 May, over 835,000 people have been registered as displaced, with fewer than one-tenth of them sheltering in camps. This is on top of the more than 500,000 people registered as fleeing their homes after earlier fighting in the north-west since last August.

Most of the uprooted are staying with relatives or friends, resulting in social and economic hardships, the High Commissioner said. "The dimensions of the problem are far out of proportion to the available resources."

While at the Yar Hussain camp, he spoke with refugee families, saw the registration of new arrivals and met with Pakistani aid workers.

He also visited a World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/stories/pakistan-wfp-reaches-650000-idp-population-grows">WFP) distribution centre, where he watched relief workers hand out food and UNHCR non-food items.

Earlier today, Mr. Guterres met with Najmuddin Khan, Minister for States and Frontier Regions, and Frida Wazir of the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees.

On Tuesday, UNHCR airlifted 120 tonnes of relief supplies – including 10,000 mosquito nets and 14,000 plastic sheets for emergency shelters – from its regional stockpile in Dubai.

Additionally, the agency has been working with Pakistani authorities and organizations to register and help the displaced.

For its part, the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) is working to support health services in camps as well as mobile outreach to cover those sheltering in host communities. Since 9 May, it has delivered 20 mini-emergency health kits – enough for 120,000 people for one month – to internally displaced persons (IDPs) at various sites in NWFP.

The agency has received over $500,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of the half million people uprooted by violence and natural disasters in the Province between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counter-insurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.
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BAN DISCUSSES PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS WITH SRI LANKAN LEADER, DISPATCHES TOP AIDE

BAN DISCUSSES PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS WITH SRI LANKAN LEADER, DISPATCHES TOP AIDE
New York, May 14 2009 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has once again expressed his concerns about the protection of civilians caught up in the conflict in Sri Lanka to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and has dispatched one of his top advisers to the South Asian nation.

During his telephone conversation yesterday with the Sri Lankan leader, Mr. Ban reiterated his concerns about the protection of civilians as fighting continues between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

"As you will recall, the Secretary-General urged the Government of Sri Lanka to explore all possible options to bring the conflict to an end without further bloodshed and to make public the terms under which that can be achieved without further loss of civilian life," she said.

"He urged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to give sober and positive consideration of those terms."

Ms. Okabe also announced that Mr. Ban is sending his Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, to Sri Lanka "to underscore his message and help to resolve the humanitarian situation there."

Members of the Security Council yesterday expressed grave concern over the worsening crisis in northern Sri Lanka, in particular the reports of hundreds of civilian casualties in recent days, in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sc9659.doc.htm">statement read out to the press by Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which holds the 15-member body's rotating presidency for May.

They reiterated their support for the personal involvement of the Secretary-General, and urged the Government to extend full cooperation to the UN to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that over 50,000 people remain in the conflict zone, while more than 198,000 people have managed to leave and crossed to Government-controlled areas. Of those, nearly 196,000 people are accommodated in temporary, overcrowded camps.

The UN spokesman in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss, says conditions inside the camps are still "miserable," owing to overcrowding and poor hygiene conditions. In addition, "they are dealing with an extremely fragile population who have been through a terrible time – certainly an intensely terrible time for the past three months," he told UN Radio.

Aid agencies, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have constructed 8,000 shelters and erected more than 9,000 tents to accommodate the new arrivals in the districts of Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee. They are also carrying out regular distribution of non-food items and monitoring at the sites.

According to OCHA, the last food shipment to the conflict zone – a shrinking pocket of land on the northern coastline – was on 8 May, and civilians trapped in the area are in desperate need of food and supplies.

Earlier today, two ships of the International Committee of the Red Cross carrying 25 tons and 500 tons respectively of mixed food commodities were unable to discharge cargo in the conflict zone due to continuous heavy fighting.
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ICRC News Release - Sri Lanka: humanitarian assistance can no longer reach civilians

ICRC News Release No. 09/103

14 May 2009

Geneva (ICRC) – In north-eastern Sri Lanka, hundreds of seriously wounded or ill patients blocked in the conflict area have been waiting in vain for several days for desperately needed medical care. For the third consecutive day, a ferry chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and anchoring only a few kilometres away from the patients has been unable to evacuate them because of continuous heavy fighting.

"Our staff are witnessing an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe," said the ICRC's director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl, from the ICRC's headquarters in Geneva today. "Despite high-level assurances, the lack of security on the ground means that our sea operations continue to be stalled, and this is unacceptable," added Mr Krähenbühl. "No humanitarian organization can help them in the current circumstances. People are left to their own devices."

Thousands of people remain trapped in a small area along the coast within the conflict zone. As fighting goes on unabated, civilians are forced to seek protection in hand-dug bunkers, making it even more difficult to fetch scarce drinking water and food.

An ICRC ferry, the GreenOcean, is carrying 25 metric tonnes of urgently needed food. The last time the ICRC could offload food and medical supplies and evacuate patients was last Saturday, 9 May. In addition to the ferry, a cargo ship, the Oriental Princess, carrying another 500 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme, is waiting off the coast north of Mullaittivu, ready to deliver the food to civilians.

"We need security and unimpeded access now in order to save hundreds of lives," said Mr Krähenbühl. "The ICRC stands ready to carry out its humanitarian work as soon as conditions permit."

UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN

UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN
New York, May 13 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations health agency said today it is bracing itself for a humanitarian health crisis in north-west Pakistan as fighting between government forces and militants threatens to uproot a further 800,000 people taking the total number of displaced to well over a million.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) has received over $514,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of almost 550,000 people who had already been displaced by violence and natural disasters in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counterinsurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.

The agency reported some 22 disease outbreaks of varying severity since August, including acute watery diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, measles, malaria, chicken pox and mumps. Fatalities related to waterborne diseases had also been recorded.

WHO also reported that over 4,000 of the 20,000 children under the age of five that they had surveyed in NWFP suffered from acute malnutrition.

Underfed children and women with low immunity are more likely to contract communicable diseases, especially in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and districts with compromised water and sanitation systems, WHO warned.

Meanwhile, a cargo jet charted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) yesterday delivered 120 tonnes of additional relief supplies for immediate distribution to those fleeing the fighting. The supplies were taken to the agency's warehouse in Peshawar, and then distributed to various sites hosting displaced people.
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Sri Lanka: Satellite Images, Witnesses Show Shelling Continues

UN Security Council Fails to Act While Civilians Suffer

May 12, 2009

(New York) - New satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts contradict Sri Lankan government claims that its armed forces are no longer using heavy weapons in the densely populated conflict area in northern Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today.

Local sources have reported that more than 400 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded since May 9, 2009, as a result of artillery attacks on the thin coastal strip where fighting continues between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"Recent satellite photos and witness accounts show the brutal shelling of civilians in the conflict area goes on," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Neither the Sri Lankan army nor the Tamil Tigers appear to have any reluctance in using civilians as cannon fodder."

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) today issued a preliminary analysis of commercial high-resolution satellite imagery of the conflict zone that shows craters from the use of heavy weapons and the removal of thousands of likely structures used by internally displaced persons (IDPs) between May 6 and May 10. The AAAS found that it was "certainly unlikely that the IDPs would have moved en masse, and so completely without a compelling reason." Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the conflict area.

Witnesses described to Human Rights Watch harrowing days spent in shallow bunkers sheltering from artillery attacks and being prevented by the LTTE from escaping to government-controlled areas.

"K. Kanaga," a 35-year-old woman whose name is withheld for security reasons, said that around 7 p.m. on May 9, she and 15 others were hiding in a bunker that they had built under a tractor when a shell struck the tractor. "If it hadn't been for the tractor, we would have all been dead," she said. About eight to 10 shells struck the immediate area, which was populated with tents and improvised bunkers. Kanaga's 45-year-old cousin was staying in a tent nearby; she never reached the bunker and was killed in the attack. "Many other people were injured as well, but I don't know how many," Kanaga said. "I could hear their screams."

"R. Raman," 29, said that he and his family had been hiding in their bunker in Mullaivaikal - a dug-out trench without any cover - for several days. "We were being attacked from all sides," he said. "My wife and I only left the bunker to get food and water for our three children."

Early in the morning on May 9, a shell struck one of the tents closeby, killing Raman's 15-year-old nephew and wounding his nephew's older brother and sister. Raman believes that the shell came from Sri Lankan army positions and may have been targeting LTTE forces that were deployed in the jungle about 100 meters away. Several shells struck the tented area inhabited by displaced civilians.

Raman said he and his family were afraid to try to escape to government-controlled areas. When they and several hundred others had tried to leave the area in early April, LTTE fighters opened fire on them. "I saw them shoot at least 15 people," he said. "They just opened fire on the first row of people. I don't know whether they lived or died, however. We fell to the ground as soon as the firing started. When it stopped, we ran back as quickly as we could. There were children among the people who got shot as well." According to Raman, about half of the people managed to escape that day. The other half were forced to return.

According to doctors who spoke to Human Rights Watch, at around 8 a.m. on May 12 the makeshift hospital at Mullivaikkal was again shelled, as many wounded civilians were waiting for treatment. Nearly 1,000 patients were in the hospital at the time of the attack, including many wounded during attacks on May 9-10. A shell reportedly exploded in front of the admission ward during visiting hours, when many relatives came to visit patients, and doctors usually arrived for work. Doctors reported that the attack killed 49 people (26 immediately, others later succumbing to injuries); another 31 injured remain in the hospital. Among those killed was the administrative officer of Mullaitivu Regional Director of Health Services, who was arranging admission of a patient. A doctor said that the shelling came from the direction of Iraddaivaikal, where government forces are deployed. Human Rights Watch and other independent monitors have not been permitted access to the conflict area by the government, so cannot confirm these casualty figures.

The Mullivaikkal hospital, which had been newly relocated away from the front line, has been repeatedly hit by shells believed to have been fired by Sri Lankan army forces. Photographs of the hospital following the shelling today can be viewed at (slideshow link).

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly raised grave concerns about violations of international law by both parties to the conflict. The LTTE has violated the laws of war by using civilians as "human shields," by preventing civilians from fleeing the combat zone - including by use of lethal force - and by deliberately deploying their forces close to densely populated areas. The Sri Lankan armed forces have indiscriminately shelled densely populated areas, including hospitals, in violation of the laws of war.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its call to Sri Lanka's key donors - including the United States, the European Union, India, Japan, and China - to demand that the Sri Lankan government end its use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas, particularly near hospitals. Both the government and the LTTE should permit safe humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee the combat zone.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its call for the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka to be urgently taken up by a formal meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York and by a special session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.