Background
Since Sri Lanka’s civil war began 20 years ago, an estimated 70,000 people have lost their lives to the conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the country.
Oxfam is concerned for the physical safety of civilians caught up in the conflict, who have limited access to health care and other services. The fighting has disrupted supplies of critical food aid and medical supplies and exacerbated the already-dire shelter, water, and sanitation situation.
Tens of thousands of civilians may still remain trapped in small, heavily crowded rebel-held enclave in northeast Sri Lanka, where the humanitarian situation now catastrophic.
