Attachments
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
Note: The last fact sheet was dated May 7, 2008.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- On January 16, 2008, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) formally withdrew from the 2002 ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), leading to the departure of the international Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. Following military gains by the GOSL in the east, hostilities have shifted to the five northern districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, and Vavuniya.
- In September 2008, intensified fighting between the GOSL and the LTTE displaced more than 185,000 people in the northern districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu (also known as the Vanni), constituting more than 83 percent of the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the districts since September 2007, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
- Humanitarian access in northern Sri Lanka decreased significantly following a directive by the GOSL on September 5, 2008. U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pulled all international staff members out of the Vanni and relocated operations to Vavuniya.
- IDPs in the Vanni lack access to humanitarian assistance, according to OCHA. As monsoon season approached in late September 2008, humanitarian agencies voiced concerns about IDPs' shelter needs.
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NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
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SOURCE
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| IDPs displaced from Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in September 2008 |
185,810
| OCHA - September 26, 2008 |
| Total IDPs displaced from northern districts since September 2007 |
221,660
| OCHA - September 26, 2008 |
| IDPs in Trincomalee and Batticaloa as of August 2008 |
20,259
| UNHCR(1) - August 31, 2008 |
| IDPs displaced nationwide between April 2006 and August 2008(2) |
247,862
| UNHCR - August 31, 2008 |
HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED FOR THE COMPLEX EMERGENCY IN FY 2008
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Sri Lanka:
$5,428,782
USAID/FFP(3) Assistance to Sri Lanka: $32,741,300
State/PRM(4) Assistance to Sri Lanka: $1,990,000
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Sri Lanka: $40,160,082
BACKGROUND AND CURRENT SITUATION
- USAID/OFDA is continuing a funding mechanism through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to provide sub-grants to humanitarian aid organizations responding to the complex emergency.
- In February 2008, OCHA released the 2008 Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) for Sri Lanka, developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Country Team in consultation with the GOSL, donors, and other stakeholders. As of July 16, 2008, the CHAP appeal requested a total of $195.7 million for emergency relief, protection, and recovery activities.
- In FY 2008, USAID/OFDA regional, Colombo-based, and Washington-based staff traveled to northern and eastern districts to assess the conditions of conflict-affected populations and monitor USAID/OFDA-funded humanitarian relief activities.