Posts Tagged ‘UN’
UN effort to get safe passage for Sri Lankan children
[ The Independent ] A senior UN official has met leaders of the Sri Lankan government amid reports that food supplies for civilians trapped in the northern war zone are running short and that up to 4,500 people may have been killed in the past three months. As photographs emerged from the so-called “no-fire zone”…
Read MoreSri Lanka rejects UN truce appeal
[BBC] Sri Lanka has rejected a fresh appeal by the UN to give civilians more time to leave a safe zone in the north-east, the defence secretary says. Only a few hundred civilians used the two-day unilateral government truce with Tamil Tiger rebels to escape. Between 50,000 and 100,000 civilians are still thought to be…
Read MoreUN Says Longer Pause in Fighting Needed in Sri Lanka
[ VOA ] The United Nations top humanitarian official welcomed a 48-hour pause in fighting in Sri Lanka’s conflict zone, but cautioned that it was insufficient to get in enough aid or to evacuate many of the more than 100,000 civilians trapped by the fighting between the government and Tamil rebels. U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator John…
Read MoreIn Sri Lanka, UN Staff Denied “Freedom of Movement” But UN Won’t Name Them
[ Inner City Press ] The UN on Tuesday refused to confirm the names of UN staff members held “without freedom of movement” in Sri Lankan government camps, and refused to explain why the UN said nothing about their detention until asked about it by Inner City Press on April 13. UN Associate Spokesman Farhan…
Read MoreSri Lanka says EU diplomats may visit war-torn north
[AFP] Sri Lanka said on Wednesday it would open up its war-torn north to international scrutiny, days after the UN said it suspected war crimes were being committed in the fight against Tamil rebels. A foreign ministry official said talks were under way to give a European Union fact-finding mission access to the area, which…
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