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May 08 in Mullivaikkal
- 9 mei
- 2 minuten om te lezen
On May 8, the situation in the conflict zone further deteriorated as military operations intensified, humanitarian conditions worsened, and international calls for investigation increased.
The Government of Sri Lanka declared a third and final “No Fire Zone,” an area into which tens of thousands of civilians had been pushed. According to the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL), this area became severely overcrowded, with civilians effectively confined in a small geographic space under heavy military pressure. The report noted that Sri Lankan Army (SLA) forces, estimated at over 50,000 troops with significant heavy weapons and air superiority, were positioned on one side of a lagoon, while LTTE forces and civilians were located on the other side, with civilians situated behind LTTE positions. General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the 58th Division, later stated that military operations were guided by UAV surveillance, claiming that the locations of both civilians and LTTE forces were known during the final stages of the offensive.
Severe humanitarian conditions were also reported in internment camps in Vavuniya, where heavy rains caused widespread flooding among displaced Tamil populations, further worsening living conditions.
A United States State Department report documented continued shortages of food and medicine inside the No Fire Zone. It stated that a supply ship carrying humanitarian aid was forced to return to Trincomalee after being denied permission to offload its cargo, with reports indicating that the Sri Lankan Navy prevented unloading and subsequently opened fire near the shoreline. Additional reports described systematic delays and denials of essential supplies, including medicines and chlorine tablets. Civilians reported extreme food shortages, with hospitals receiving patients suffering from fainting episodes attributed to starvation. There were also accounts of mothers seeking milk powder for infants, with hospitals unable to meet basic nutritional needs.
The same day, intensified military strikes were reported, including attacks on medical facilities. Witness testimony cited by Human Rights Watch described the use of drones for reconnaissance over Valayanmadam Hospital prior to an attack that killed several individuals, including a doctor, and injured over 30 people. Reports indicated that GPS coordinates of hospitals had been repeatedly shared with authorities to protect them from attack; however, multiple strikes reportedly occurred shortly after such coordinates were transmitted.
International concern escalated further as United Nations independent experts called for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry. UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston stated that there was credible reason to believe thousands of civilians had been killed in recent months, while also noting the lack of official accounting for casualties and restricted access for humanitarian observers and journalists.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also condemned repeated shelling of hospitals in the northern Vanni region, stating that such facilities were being struck by indiscriminate artillery and aerial attacks. HRW Asia Director Brad Adams emphasised that hospitals are protected under international law and should not be targeted, warning that commanders responsible for such attacks could face prosecution for war crimes. The organisation described a pattern of repeated strikes on medical facilities while medical staff attempted to treat large numbers of injured civilians under extremely constrained conditions.
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