Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update, Sri Lanka, July 2012 – Report #44

I. SITUATION OVERVIEW & HIGHLIGHTS

Returns and displacement

By the end of July 2012, 442,648 people (132,099 families) had returned to the Northern Province with the support of the Government of Sri Lanka and humanitarian organizations. This figure includes 229,842 people (72,907 families) displaced after April 2008 and 212,806 persons (59,192 families) displaced before April 20081.

At the end of July, 5,443 IDPs (1,603 families), displaced after April 2008, remained in camps awaiting return to their areas of origin.

During a time of accelerated resettlement, the humanitarian community supports the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to ensure safe, dignified and voluntary resettlement in keeping with international standards and practices. This includes the completion and certification of humanitarian demining, sufficient information and knowledge of conditions in IDP home areas/relocation options, access to basic services and livelihoods for returning families.
Strong partnership and cooperation between the Government and agencies are indispensable at this time.

An additional 7,329 IDPs (1,981 families) from the protracted or long-term caseload, displaced prior to April 2008, remained in welfare centres in Jaffna and Vavuniya districts.

The Government and the UN are committed to finding solutions for displaced people, who sought shelter with friends and relatives, left camps and are still living with host families, or are stranded in transit sites. Additionally long-term IDPs seek assistance to reclaim their homes and properties or integrate with their host communities.