Page 82 - KDU Law Journal Volume 4 Issue 2

KDU Law Journal Volume 04 Issue II
September, 2024
This paper analyzes the charge on the “Denial of Humanitarian
Assistance”. The gist of the charge is that GOSL pursued a policy
of deliberately denying humanitarian assistance to the civilians
trapped in the conflict zone. The essence of the charge is couched
in the following paragraphs of the OISL Report.
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(A) The provision of food assistance became more difficult after the
relocation of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations
from Kilinochchi. During the four months when United Nations
road convoys had operated (October 2008 to January 2009)
despite various security incidents, the average shipment of
food had been 3639 metric tons per month. This figure included
Government food contribution, as well as contributions from the
Government of India and NGOs (OISL Report paragraph 987).

(B) After 16 January 2009, however, the amount food allowed into the
Vanni plummeted, In March 2009; the United Nations Resident
Coordinator’s Office indicated that at least 3000 MT was needed
per month for between 150,000 and 200,000 people. Between
February 2009-when aid delivery resumed by ship – and the last
ship delivery on 9 May-, authorized and delivered food shipments
totaled only 2, 442 MT for the whole period, according to the
Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights. A Table
prepared by the Ministry and detailing the shipments between
February and May 2009 shows that most of the foods was
provided by WFP. While Minister of Disaster Management and
Human Rights stated on 17 February that the Government was
th
to “send food to people in the Mulative No Fire Zone”, it only
provided 105 MT for the whole five months period. In a press
release dated 7 May, ICRC stated that it had delivered over
2300 MT of WFP food by ship during this period. This was

port of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL)’ [2015] digitallibrary.un.org <https://
digitallibrary.un.org/record/803408?ln=en> accessed 2 July 2024.
43 Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, ‘Report of the OHCHR Investigation
on Sri Lanka’ (UN Human Rights Council 2015).
law.faculty@kdu.ac.lk
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