Sri Lanka Activities

Our Activities in Sri Lanka

Having suffered decades of conflict, landmines and Unexploded Ordinances (UXOs) posed a significant threat to civilians in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. In 2001, JCCP undertook an ambitious de-mining project to reduce this danger, which hampers reconstruction and development efforts in the area. Working in cooperation with other NGOs, governmental agencies and international bodies in the area, JCCP cleared a total of 225 landmine devices, and 85 UXO devices, while also working to build up local capacities through technical assistance to local actors.
The team working to unload supplies for Tsunami victims in Sri LankaLater, in 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami resulted in the devastation of the Eastern and Southern Sri Lankan coastline.
Over 30,000 lives were lost on the island, with over 100,000 homes destroyed. Over 13 months, JCCP worked on providing assistance to the victims of this enormous natural disaster. We provided basic relief supplies and temporary housing to those left homeless, and also provided resources as diverse as motorboats for transportation, and councillors for those traumatised.

JCCP then turned to assisting the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) of Sri Lanka who had to flee their homes due to the ongoing violence of the civil war, particularly in the northern areas. Efforts focused on provide both basic assistance and the means to rebuild livelihoods in the medium term to displaced populations.

Conflict Background

The protracted civil war in Sri Lanka from 1983-2009 resulted in an estimated 80,000-100,000 deaths and immeasurable economic and social damage. The conflict was mainly between the Government of Sri Lanka (of the majority Singhalese) and the Liberated Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who were fighting for an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils in the eastern and northern areas of the island. The roots of the conflict lie in many social, economic and political factors including the British colonial legacy that entrenched imbalances between Sri Lanka’s different ethnic groups. The LTTE suppressed dissent within Tamil communities while some Singhalese political leaders used the conflict to encourage Singhalese nationalism for party political gain. These divisions were responsible in preventing common approaches to formulating peace and establishing a mutually acceptable form of Tamil autonomy.

Attempts to resolve the conflict began promisingly in 2002. However, hostilities resumed aggressively in late 2005 and an estimated 200,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were created as a result. The Sri Lanka Government officially withdrew from the ceasefire agreement in early 2008 and in 2009 the violence further intensified. The civil war concluded in May 2009 when the LTTE admitted defeat and laid down their arms. The final stages of the war displaced an additional 300,000 people, many of them held against their will in IDP camps. Most of these people have since been released, but some still remain in the camps, with thousands more without permanent housing.

Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka

A mother with her 2 day old baby in Sri Lanka: She gave birth two weeks after the Tsunami struck, while living in a temporary shelter and depending on international assistance.The major issues in the Sri Lankan conflict include the return of IDPs (Internally Displaced People) and widespread human rights abuses by both sides, such as extra-judicial killings and the use of child soldiers. The conflict has been further complicated by the 2004 Tsunami which devastated Sri Lanka’s East and South coast. Humanitarian assistance resources intended for the Tsunami were diverted from critical reconstruction and development needs and towards combat activities. Additionally, the presence of IDPs has hampered reconstruction efforts.
The international community has long attempted to play a mediating role in restraining both sides and pushing for serious discussion of a political settlement. However, the continuous fighting has compelled some donors to become less involved. Despite this, there are many community level peacebuilding activities taking place.