Eight British aid agencies working in Sri Lanka have condemned the recent brutal killing of 17 aid workers in Muttur. The agencies also warned that increasing violence in the north and east of the country is threatening tsunami reconstruction and emergency response works.

|TOP|In unity, aid agencies CAFOD, CARE International, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Save the Children, Merlin and World Vision, told how the killings revealed the dangers for civilians caught in the upsurge of violence, as well as for those working on tsunami reconstruction and the long-term recovery of the country.

The renewed violence in the east of Sri Lanka between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has again begun to devastate the lives of civilians, including people who were already affected by the tsunami.

The atrocities against the relief workers began when the employees of Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), a Paris-based international aid agency, were found executed in their office. It is not yet known who is responsible.

A ceasefire between the army and the LTTE has been in place since 2002, but in recent months violence has flared up again in the north and east of the country.

Now thousands are fleeing their homes and have sought refuge in other parts of the country. The latest displacement has put even more pressure on aid agencies to provide relief in addition to their ongoing tsunami rehabilitation work.

Richard Mawer, Save the Children’s country programme director in Sri Lanka, said, “The current escalation in violence is having a profound impact on the ability of aid agencies to provide vital support to communities already affected by the tsunami as well as thousands of families whose lives are now being shattered.”

|AD|Aid agencies have reported that it is becoming increasingly difficult to operate in the north and east because of the violence and security tensions. There is limited access to areas in need and limitations on relief items allowed into particular areas.

“Over the past year, aid workers in Sri Lanka have had to cope with worsening violence, but this horrific incident represents an unprecedented escalation of risk,” said James Marchant, Christian Aid’s South Asia regional manager.

British humanitarian agencies in Sri Lanka have underlined their calls for a full, impartial investigation into the killings of the aid workers in Muttur and have called upon all parties to:

- To respect the neutrality of non-governmental organisations and guarantee them secured access to civilians in need
- To respect the rights of civilian populations and the basic principles laid down by the Geneva Convention
- To respect the ceasefire signed in 2002 and return to peace talks in order to bring an immediate end to the violence

International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Geoff Tunnicliffe has also joined the calls for an end to the violence in Sri Lanka and appealed to the Christian community not to forget Sri Lanka in its prayers.

Tunnicliffe said: “Please pray for this country and for the Christians who risk their lives to reach and care for those caught in this civil conflict.

"While the world’s attention is fixed on the equally tragic events in the Mideast, little media coverage is given to the Sri Lankan civil war that is taking scores of innocent lives and displacing thousands of people in the island country.”

“Let us remember the people of Sri Lanka and lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer; may there be a swift and peaceful end to the fighting and bloodshed.”