As fighting rages in north-eastern Sri Lanka, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that conflicting parties must take immediate action to prevent further mass casualties among civilians. The ICRC said it was extremely worried about tens of thousands of civilians, including women, children and elderly people, many of them wounded or sick, who are trapped in the rapidly shrinking area along the coast that had been declared a ‘no-fire’ zone by the government.

"What we are seeing is intense fighting in a very small area overcrowded with civilians who have fled there," said the ICRC’s director of operations, Pierre Krahenbuhl. "The situation is nothing short of catastrophic. Ongoing fighting has killed or wounded hundreds of civilians who have only minimal access to medical care."

The ICRC said in a statement that it is concerned that the final offensive in the area by government forces against fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties.

It has reminded both parties of their obligation to comply with international humanitarian law in all circumstances. In the current context, which is exceptional in that combat is occurring in a very densely populated area, extreme precautions must be taken to avoid or in any event minimise civilian casualties. The ICRC has also reminded the parties of the prohibition on attacking persons hors de combat and of the obligation to treat captured combatants humanely.

"The LTTE must keep its fighters and other military resources well away from places where civilians are concentrated, and allow civilians who want to leave the area to do so safely," said Mr Krahenbuhl. "On their part, government forces are obliged to ensure that the methods and means of warfare they employ make it possible to clearly distinguish at all times between civilians and civilian objects, on the one hand, and military objectives, on the other. In this situation, we are particularly concerned about the impact on civilians of using weapons such as artillery."

"In the coming days the ICRC will strive to assist and protect the thousands of displaced civilians fleeing the hostilities," said Mr KrŠhenbŸhl. "However, it is imperative that independent humanitarian organisations also be allowed to provide desperately needed services and relief for civilians still trapped in the ‘no-fire’ zone today," the ICRC said.