Sri Lanka, May 2009. After decades of fighting, one of the longest protracted civil wars in history was declared to be over. The island-nation just south of India continues work to recover from massive country-wide devastation from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Every part of Sri Lanka felt the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Over 30,000 were reported dead, with 400,000 internally displaced adding to the hundreds of thousands displaced from decades of fighting in the North East of the island.

In 2007, the Government of Sri Lanka renewed its military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In 2009, the last months of this military onslaught the UN reported over 20,000 civilian casualties with tens of thousands injured and 280,000 civilians held in IDP camps.

Operation USA joins others in the International community in advocating for increased access to these camps, freedom of movement and the right to return of displaced civilians to their original homes. Operation USA will continue to work with local grassroots partners to support their relief and rehabilitation initiatives in rural villages across the island.