Civilians fleeing Sri Lanka fighting have no safe passage: ICRC
[AFP]
Tens of thousands of people are on the run because of fighting between troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka where civilians have no safe passage, the Red Cross said Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was “extremely concerned” that the warring parties had not agreed on a safe route for civilians since January 9. “This has put at risk the lives of patients who cannot receive suitable treatment on the spot and therefore need to be transferred to Vavuniya Hospital, in government-controlled territory,” the ICRC said in a statement. It said there had been a “massive displacement” of civilians — many of them having already been forced to move numerous times — who were increasingly seeking the safety of government-controlled areas.