ICRC office shut

9 September 2010 04:54 pm Views - 4258

Following a review of its operations more than one year after the end of active hostilities the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will close its office in the Mannar district at the end of November.

According to the ICRC, support to communities that are being resettled in the area will continue from the ICRC office in Vavuniya, which will also assist beneficiaries of the ICRC's Family Visits Assistance (FVA) programme. This programme provides a travel allowance to families seeking help to visit their detained relatives.

"Recognising the lasting impact of armed conflict on people's lives and the importance of support in the early stages of recovery and reconstruction, the ICRC continues to respond to humanitarian needs in the area", Paul Castella, the head of the ICRC in Sri Lanka said. "At the same time, the ICRC is conscious of the need to balance this response to existing needs against the resources it requires to do so and Mannar is within easy access from Vavuniya". (Daily Mirror online)