15 of Action Against Hunger’s (ACFIN) national employees from Sri Lanka were killed in Muttur: Action Against Hunger suspends its programmes and demands an investigation

7 August 2006 - This weekend, Action Against Hunger received the shocking news of the deaths of 15 of its employees at the organisation’s base in Muttur (Trincomalee district). The organisation is providing psychological support and has currently suspended its programmes within the country. The organisation will launch an investigation into this ‘massacre’, which - once again – jeopardizes the presence and work of NGO’s in conflict zones.

For more than a week, fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military has ravaged the town of Muttur. The Action Against Hunger team, which assisted displaced people in the area, could not be evacuated because access was denied by the fighting factions. All communication channels broke down on Friday morning, 4th August. Contradictory information had been circulating and on Saturday, 5th August, we received confirmation that 15 of our employees had died: the team had apparently been executed. All employees were wearing their ACF t-shirts, clearly identifying them as Action Against Hunger staff.

ACF’s Human Resources Director has immediately left for Sri Lanka. The priority for the teams in Sri Lanka is to have access to the area to recover the bodies and return them to their families for burial. At the moment, access is near impossible due to continuing military tensions in the district of Trincomalee.

Action Against Hunger has implemented programmes to improve hygiene conditions and access to water for 1,000 families in the area. The emergency programme was launched to support people displaced due to interethnic tensions and the resumption of fighting in April and May 2006. Food security programmes and other economic activities were also carried out in response to the needs of people affected by the Tsunami in December 2004.

Action Against Hunger has currently stopped its activities in Sri Lanka (Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee) and is reviewing its presence in the country. This morning, ACF’s president Denis Metzger commented: “Action Against Hunger has never suffered such a loss in its 27 years of existence. Once again, this massacre highlights the difficulties encountered by humanitarian actors in conflict zones. Humanitarian values, especially those upheld by Action Against Hunger – neutrality, impartiality, free access to victims, independence – have again been defied. Beyond horror, this act again puts into question the status of humanitarian action as defended and upheld by NGOs such as Action Against Hunger.”

The organisation has implemented programmes in Sri Lanka since 1996 to assist the population affected by the conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military. Since 2005, the organisation has assisted people who were displaced following the Tsunami in December 2004. Action Against Hunger’s teams in Sri Lanka include 15 international employees and 224 national employees (3 international employees and 50 national employees in Trincomalee).

                                                       ***ENDS***