Only last week some 30 people were killed and more than 50 injured as a result of two bomb attacks on civilian buses and other violent incidents. The last took place on Saturday in Vavuniya district, where a claymore-mine explosion gutted a public bus, killing eight persons and injuring 25.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about the worsening situation in the country and especially its effects on civilians. It calls on the parties to the armed conflict to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian law, in particular by distinguishing at all times between civilians and fighters. In all circumstances the law prohibits direct attacks against civilian and civilian objects.

The ICRC has been active in Sri Lanka since 1989, in particular in the north-east of the country, acting as a neutral intermediary, protecting and assisting the civilian population, visiting detainees, restoring contact between members of separated families and promoting international humanitarian law.