Posts Tagged ‘UN’
Sri Lankans in ‘Safe Zone’ Still Under Fire
[OneWorld.net] In a designated safe zone in northern Sri Lanka, weekend fighting has put civilians back in the war zone. A new “safe zone” has provided some respite for tens of thousands of local residents, reports the United Nations, but that area also experienced some fighting in the past several days. “The Sri Lankan government…
Read MoreUN Envoy On Humanitarian Affairs To Arrive In Sri Lanka
[AFP] The U.N.’s top envoy for humanitarian affairs John Holmes will arrive in Colombo on Thursday to assess Sri Lanka’s relief operations in its conflict zone, the government said. The visit comes after U.N.-appointed experts expressed concern earlier this month over “rapidly deteriorating conditions” facing civilians affected by the war between government troops and Tamil…
Read MoreSri Lanka: 16 patients killed in hospital shelling
[AP] At least 16 patients being treated at a makeshift hospital in the northern Sri Lankan war zone were killed by shelling, the Red Cross said Tuesday, as the military accused rebel fighters of killing 19 other civilians fleeing the area. The United Nations, meanwhile, said it was outraged by the “unnecessary” deaths of hundreds of…
Read MoreU.N. experts decry ‘climate of fear’ in Sri Lanka
[Reuters] Sri Lanka’s journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders are living in fear and need better protection from violence, United Nations investigators said on Monday. In a joint statement, 10 U.N. experts called on the government to act quickly to halt repressive practices. “The fear of reprisals against victims and witnesses, together with a lack…
Read MoreUN: 250K civilians facing food crisis in Sri Lanka
[AP] The United Nations warned that civilians caught in the shrinking sliver of territory still controlled by the rebels are facing a massive food crisis, and convoys may not be able to deliver supplies until late next week. Concern for the fate of civilians – hundreds of whom observers say have died in the latest…
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