Sri Lanka

After returning home from a displacement camp, a Sri Lankan woman harvests chilies that she planted with help from a USAID/OFDA agriculture program.

Rob Freidman/USAID

Despite the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in May 2009, conflict-affected individuals continue to require humanitarian assistance in northern areas of the country. As of June 2012, approximately 6,000 individuals remained in the Manik Farm displacement camp, according to the U.N. In addition, the 440,700 individuals who have resettled to areas of origin in Northern Province continue to require humanitarian assistance, particularly shelter, livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support. As the Government of Sri Lanka reopens areas of Northern Province previously off limits for resettlement, additional returnees will require humanitarian assistance in areas of return.

USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED IN FY 2012

*This figure includes funding for both disaster response and disaster risk reduction activities (As of August 13, 2012).

Sri Lanka Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #1 (255kb) and map (472kb PDF)

Key Developments

On October 7, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis re-declared a disaster due to the effects of the complex emergency in Sri Lanka. USAID/OFDA currently prioritizes returnee assistance in Sri Lanka through activities in agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, humanitarian coordination and information management, shelter and settlements, and WASH, with a focus on laying the groundwork for long-term recovery initiatives. Since the disaster was first declared in Fiscal Year 2006, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly $40 million in response to the complex emergency in Sri Lanka.