Sri Lanka

By freeing up safe land, MAG is enabling people displaced by the civil war in northern Sri Lanka to return to their homes.

The problem

Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans remain in displacement camps, having been uprooted during the island's civil war. The presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains a major obstacle to a safe return home, with large areas left uninhabitable.

The use of ‘nuisance mining’ – ie. using no pattern when laying mines – by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in defence of their positions makes finding the location, identification and removal of the mines extremely difficult.

How MAG is helping

The programme is working in support of efforts to declare villages safe for the return of internally displaced people (IDPs) currently being housed in camps around Vavuniya.

MAG is currently working in support of this initiative by undertaking survey and clearance in support of return of IDPs to Mannar and Vavuniya Districts, and will be seeking to expand the area of operations over the coming months.

See these pages for detailed information on MAG's latest work in Sri Lanka:

Your donation to MAG helps us to move into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of conflict, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations.

Beneficiaries

MAG is helping to create a more secure environment for the people of Sri Lanka, build safer communities and improve the futures of people affected by remnants of conflict, and contribute to national reconstruction, economic growth and stability by freeing up land for essential livelihood activities.

Approximately 190,000 IDPs from across the Northern Province remained in camps by the beginning of November 2009.

Find out more

MAG Sri Lanka in depth
UNDP (United Nations Deveopment Programme) Sri Lanka [external site]
Reliefweb – Sri Lanka [external site]

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MAG would like to express its gratitude and sincere thanks to the following donors currently contributing to the Sri Lanka programme: Actiefonds Mijnen Ruimen; AusAID; UK Department for International Development (DFID); Good Gifts; Stichting Vluchteling; Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State.