Ten-Year Review: Sri Lanka acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 March 2018. Sri Lanka has participated in the convention’s meetings and served as president of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in September 2019. It voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2019.

According to Sri Lanka’s initial transparency report provided in February 2019, it has never produced cluster munitions and does not possess a stockpile.

Policy

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 March 2018 and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 September 2018.

Sri Lanka stated in September 2019 that it was “exploring…internal processes” to see if “a separate legal enactment to give effect to the Convention is required” or if “adequate legal provisions already exist, to enable the implementation of all Convention related obligations.”[1] Previously, in February 2019, Sri Lanka said it was checking to determine if new legislation is needed to enforce its implementation of the convention’s provisions.[2]

Since its accession to the convention in 2018, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense has initiated a program to educate Sri Lanka’s security forces to ensure they comply with the convention’s provisions at all times.[3]

Sri Lanka submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention on 26 February 2019.[4]

Sri Lanka participated in one meeting of the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, in Vienna, Austria in December 2007. It attended a regional meeting on cluster munitions in Bali, Indonesia in November 2009.

Prior to its accession Sri Lanka participated as an observer in every meeting of the convention.[5] It participated as a State Party in the convention’s Eighth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2018. Sri Lanka served as President of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties, also in Geneva, in September 2019.

Sri Lanka has participated in several regional workshops on the convention, such as one hosted in Vientiane, Lao PDR in April 2019 and one held by the Philippines in Manila on 18–19 June 2019.

In December 2019, Sri Lanka voted in favor of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution, which urges states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[6] It has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.

Sri Lanka has also voted in favor of UNGA resolutions condemning the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2018.[7]

Sri Lanka acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 13 December 2017. Sri Lanka is also a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, and stockpiling

In February 2019, Sri Lanka reported that it has not produced cluster munitions and does not possess any stocks of cluster munitions, including for research and training purposes.[8]

Use

In September 2018, Sri Lanka stated that it “has never used cluster munitions.”[9] Previously, Sri Lankan officials repeatedly stated that its armed forces did not possess cluster munitions and never used the weapon.[10]

Past allegations of use

Sri Lanka has emphatically denied claims that it used cluster munitions in 2008–2009 in the northern Vanni region.[11] In 2017, Sri Lanka said that with respect to allegations of cluster munition use during its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the “Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force re-iterated their earlier stand that they have never used Cluster Munitions”[12]

In 2016, it was reported that three mine clearance operators had cleared cluster munition remnants, including unexploded submunitions, from at least six different sites in the north of the country since 2009.[13] The reports quoted an operator, who said it could not be determined who used the cluster munitions or when, but said they could have been used “any time within the last three decades.”

The Sri Lankan Air Force possesses aircraft capable of delivering Soviet-made cluster munitions, while the LTTE had light planes incapable of carrying them. The Indian Air Force possesses RBK-500 series cluster bombs and was involved in a military intervention against the LTTE in northern Sri Lanka in 1987–1990.

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Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country summary

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is extensively contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The Northern province is by far the most affected, though limited contamination remains in the Eastern province, and in Northcentral, Northwestern, and Western provinces. The north of the country was the focus of three decades of armed conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in May 2009.Both sides made extensive use of mines, including belts of P4 Mk I and Mk II blast antipersonnel mines laid by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), and long defensive lines with a mixture of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) laid by the LTTE.[1] Indian Peacekeeping Forces also used mines during their presence from July 1987 to January 1990.[2]

Sri Lanka had initially projected completion of mine clearance by the end of 2020. However, it reported that insufficient levels of international funding combined with identification of 2.88km² ofnew contamination during 2019 meant that the clearance completion date had been pushed beyond 2020.[3] Sri Lanka anticipates completion of clearance by 2025.[4]

It has been reported that since 2009, three mine clearance organizations have cleared cluster munition remnants, including unexploded submunitions, from at least six different sites in the north of Sri Lanka.[5] The time period when the contamination occurred was not identified.

Risk education and victim assistance in Sri Lanka are coordinated by the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) and relevant government ministries, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).[6] Since 2010, the phasing out of services by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Humanity & Inclusion (HI), and UNICEF resulted in a decrease in the availability of victim assistance.[7] Rehabilitation services continued to provide prosthetics and were expanded in 2019.

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

According to Sri Lanka’s National Mine Action Strategy 2016–2020, the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) had initially anticipated that clearance would be completed in 2020. However, this target was contingent upon receiving a projected amount of funding which was not obtained. This was combined with the identification of new contamination in 2019 which led NMAC to project that clearance would be completed beyond 2020, although not later than 2025.[8]

Management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview

Coordination

The Ministry of Rehabilitation, Resettlement, and Hindu Religious Affairs became the lead agency for mine action in 2015, as chair of the inter-ministerial National Steering Committee for Mine Action (NSCMA). This body sets policy and manages linkages within the government, the mine action community, and donors.[9] Its policies and decisions are implemented by the NMAC, which was set up in 2010. The role of the NMAC is to liaise with government ministries and development partners regarding mine action, as well as to develop a strategic plan and production of annual workplans. The NMAC is also responsible for accrediting mine action operators, setting national standards, and acting as the secretariat of NSCMA.[10]

Clearance operations are coordinated, tasked, and quality managed by a Regional Mine Action Office (RMAO) in Kilinochchi, working in consultation with District Steering Committees for Mine Action. The committees are chaired by government agents heading district authorities.[11]

Under its National Mine Action Strategy for 2016–2020, the government of Sri Lanka intends to convene steering committee meetings for mine action up to twice per year at national level and at three regional levels, one for Eastern province and two for Northern province.[12]

Information management

Sri Lanka’s Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) was updated in 2015 and had since undergone substantial and continuing improvements, including the correction of erroneous data and updating the database on the basis of re-survey results, leading to a more accurate representation of remaining contamination.[13]

Risk education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview

Coordination

UNICEF works with NMAC in order to support risk education activities which is conducted within schools through the Ministry of Education and at community level through local NGOs.[14]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[15]

Coordination between the mine action sector and other relevant state entities, particularly the National Disability Council and the Ministry of Health required improvement.[16]

The ministries of defense, education, health, and social services, and the Directorate of Rehabilitation coordinate victim assistance services.[17] The National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities sits under the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Social Welfare. It works to promote, improve and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities through guidance, support, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of development activities.[18]

UNICEF supported NMAC in coordinating and providing victim assistance.[19] UNICEF supports the Ministry of Social Services in implementing a national level coordination mechanism on assisting children with disabilities. This coordination mechanism includes government ministries, UNICEF, and NGOs.[20]

Laws and policies

Disability legislation, Act No. 28 of 1996 addresses access to education, employment and physical accessibility to public places.

Sri Lanka’s National Action Plan for 2019–2021 contains two commitments towards persons with disabilities. Commitment No. 8 aims to minimize the economic and social disadvantages faced by persons with disabilities by providing disability-friendly housing facilities to 3,200 identified low-income families by 2020. Commitment No. 9 is to formulate a Disability Rights Bill with public participation in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The goal was to have this bill enacted by parliament before the end of 2020.[21]

Various laws prohibit discrimination against any person disabilities in employment, education, air travel, other public transportation, and access to health care. In practice, however, discrimination occurred in employment, education, and provision of state services, including public transportation. There were regulations on accessibility, but accommodation for access to buildings and public transportation for persons with disabilities was rare. Children with disabilities attended school at a lower rate than other persons.[22]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination overview (as of December 2019)[23]

Note: CHA=Confirmed Hazardous Area; ERW=explosive remnants of war; and SHA=suspected hazardous area.

Landmine contamination

Mine contamination remains in the Northern, Eastern and North-Central provinces with a total of 285 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) and nine suspected hazardous areas (SHAs).[24] The most significant mine contamination is found in the Northern Province, which was the scene of intense fighting during the civil war. By the end of 2019, there were 275 CHAs totaling 20.31km² and nine SHAs totaling 1.39km² in the north. In the Eastern Province, there were seven CHAs which totaled 0.31km², while three CHAs totaling 0.16km² remained in the North Central Province.[25]

The total amount of CHAs and SHAs has increased slightly since 2017 as a result of the livelihood activities of resettled internally displaced persons (IDPs) identifying new SHAs. Technical survey was conducted in these new areas and the CHAs were added to the total contamination figure.[26]

The SLA used both antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, with all use said to have been recorded.[27] Operators have encountered a wide range of LTTE devices, including antipersonnel mines with anti-tilt and anti-lift mechanisms. Tripwire-activated Claymore-type mines and, to a lesser extent, antivehicle mines, were also used by the LTTE, along with a number of improvised devices.[28]

It is estimated that 80% of those living in contaminated rural areas in the north of the country are farmers or fishermen who rely directly on the land to survive. Continued contamination is therefore increasing disparity in wealth and development between the north and south of the country.[29]

Cluster munition remnant contamination

Since 2009, three mine demining organizations had cleared cluster munition remnants, including unexploded submunitions, from at least six different sites in the north of the country.[30] A report quoted an operator, who said it could not be determined who used the cluster munitions or when, but said they could have been used “any time within the last three decades.”[31] Sri Lanka’s initial Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report submitted in 2019 and its subsequent 2020 transparency report stated that there was no cluster munition contamination.[32]

ERW contamination

Sri Lanka remains contaminated with a wide range of ERW, including unexploded air-dropped bombs, artillery shells and missiles, mortar bombs, handheld anti-tank projectiles, and rifle and hand grenades. Large caches of abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) also exist, particularly in the north.[33] These are being cleared concurrently to the remaining minefields.[34]

Casualties

Casualties overview[35]

Casualties in 2019: details

Ten mine/ERW casualties were recorded in 2019. Two women deminers were injured. Sri Lanka reported another eight casualties recorded in the IMSMA database.[36]

From 1999 to the end of 2019, the Monitor identified 1,195 casualties in Sri Lanka (144 killed; 579 injured; 472 unknown). In April 2010, it was reported that since the 1980s there were a total of 21,993 mine casualties, including 1,419 civilian returnees; 3,770 recorded amputees among the armed forces, police, and civil defense forces; and 16,804 mine casualties among the non-state armed group, LTTE.[37] In 2015, UNICEF reported that since the 1980s some 22,177 mine/ERW casualties had been recorded, including 1,603 civilian casualties. However, from 2006 to 2009 accurate casualty information was difficult to access due to ongoing conflict, likely resulting in under-reporting.[38]

No cluster munition casualties have been recorded in Sri Lanka by the Monitor. In 2019, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) published a report including casualties and injuries from what were described as cluster munitions. However, the weapon was reported with the designation of OFAB 500 ShR, a parachute-retarded aerial bomb with multiple warheads which, due to its size and weight does not meet the Convention on Cluster Munitions definition of a cluster munition.[39] This designation was consistent with reporting and images from use of OFAB 500 ShR in 2008.[40]

Addressing the impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

Clearance operators[41]

Clearance

Land release overview[42]

Land release: landmines

Since humanitarian mine action clearance began in 2002 up until 31 July 2020, Sri Lanka has reported releasing 4,775 areas totaling 1,290.85km².[43]

Estimates of total contamination fell sharply between 2010– 2018: from 506km² at the end of 2010 to just under 26km² as of July 2018.[44] The size of the contaminated area then plateaued slightly, with a combined suspected and confirmed hazardous area of some 22km² remaining at the end of 2019.[45] Batticaloa district in Eastern province was the first to be declared free of the threat of mines in June 2017.[46]

Sri Lanka has estimated that the annual funding requirement of sustaining its national mine action program at the existing level is approximately US$20 million.[47]

Risk education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators[48]

From January 2009 to the end of 2019, around 562,500 community members have received risk education messaging.[49]

Community liaison teams from national risk education organizations, such as Caritas Valvuthayam, People Vision, Rural Development Foundation, Sarvodaya, and Social Organisation for Development (SOND), conduct risk education under the auspices of the NMAC.[50]

Women and schoolgirls work with the national risk education organizations to reach out to families and act as peer group influencers.[51]

Target groups

NMAC considers people from the south of Sri Lanka and visiting the north and east of the country to be at risk from mines and other ERW. Specific livelihoods such as scrap metal collectors, firewood collectors and farmers are also considered high risk.[52]

Delivery methods

The NMAC does not usually permit international NGOs to deliver risk education.[53] Age-appropriate risk education has been incorporated into the school curriculum in the northern and eastern provinces.[54]

Marking

The areas known or suspected to contain antipersonnel mines have all been prominently marked with signs and signboards displayed in the Sinhala, Tamil, and English languages. Signs are maintained and replaced on a regular basis.[55]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities[56]

Needs assessment

Sri Lanka had no needs assessment or data on indirect victims of mines/ERW.

Medical care and rehabilitation

Sri Lanka reported that as the major component of the victim assistance program, medical care in the country had made significant improvement in its services and that people with traumatic lower limb injuries from causes such as antipersonnel mines or ERW, received adequate services.[57]

The Jaffna Jaipur Centre for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR) provided prosthetics using ICRC technology, rehabilitation and socioeconomic support, as well as visited amputees at the government-run Jaffna Teaching Hospital for post amputation care. It also made field visits to mine/ERW survivors, people with disabilities from war related causes and other persons with disabilities to refer them for services. The JJCDR was established informally in 1987 to provide prosthetics to civilian war victims, and was officially registered in 2001. In September 2020, a special discussion was held at the JJCDR on its sustainability and during which a “dire need” for follow up on future resourcing was recognized.[58]

Sri Lanka reported the following rehabilitation hospitals as operating in the country and that provided physical rehabilitation, including to landmine survivors: Digana Rehabilitation Hospital; Jayanthipura Rehabilitation Hospital; Kandagolla Rehabilitation Hospital; Maliban Rehabilitation Hospital; and Ragama Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Hospital. A state-of-the-art rehabilitation unit was constructed at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.[59]

The Jaffna Teaching Hospital is the only hospital in the province run by the central government in Colombo. In July 2019, the Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Physical Rehabilitation was opened at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The project was funded by the Kuwait Red Crescent at the request of the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka.[60]

Caritas Valvuthayam Mannar works directly with NMAC in providing victim assistance services. The organization provides prosthetics and mobility devices through Mannar Rehabilitation Center. It ran an outreach program to areas including Kilinochchi, Mullaithievu, and Puttalam.[61]

The Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Centre is a government-run center that provides physical rehabilitation, social support, economic inclusion, and other assistance to disabled veterans.[62]

Sri Lanka reported that mental health services are available in the Northern Province and the mental health network has improved. Basic counselling services were available and being further developed.[63]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

HI conducted the project “INSPIRE”, supported by the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Foundation for Children, which organizes fun and sporting activities for children and young people, in particular those with disabilities.

There is a general absence of efforts to guarantee the right of persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors, to live independently and to be included in the community, particularly in rural areas.[64]

Policy

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 13 December 2017, and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 June 2018.

In November 2018, Sri Lanka reported that it is in the process of creating implementation legislation for the Mine Ban Treaty.[1] Draft legislation is being reviewed by “key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence,” prior to being submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for final approval.[2] It provided the same report in April 2019 and did not provide an update at the intersessional meetings in June 2019, so it is unclear how much progress has been made.

As of 15 October 2020, Sri Lanka had not provided an updated annual Article 7 report, which was due in April 2020. In November 2018, Sri Lanka provided an initial Article 7 report, which provided information “as of 28 November 2018.”[3] In April 2019, Sri Lanka provided an updated Article 7 report.[4] Previously, Sri Lanka submitted a voluntary Article 7 report in 2005.

Sri Lanka participated in the Mine Ban Treaty’s Fourth Review Conference in Oslo, Norway in November 2019, where it made a statement during the High-Level segment, and during the sessions on victim assistance and international cooperation and assistance. Sri Lanka also participated in the online intersessional meetings in June–July 2020.

Sri Lanka is a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines.

Production, Transfer, and Use

There is no evidence that the government of Sri Lanka has ever produced or exported antipersonnel mines. Sri Lanka’s declared stockpile of antipersonnel landmines includes mines of Belgian, Chinese, Italian (or Singaporean), and Pakistani origin, as well as unknown mine types.[5]

Since the end of armed conflict in May 2009, the Monitor has not received any reports of new use of antipersonnel mines by any entity in Sri Lanka.

In October 2009, Sri Lanka Army Commander, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, said that “the use of mines by the Sri Lankan military is strictly limited and restricted to defensive purposes only…to demarcate and defend military installations” adding that mined areas are “marked accordingly…and relevant records systematically maintained.”[6] Earlier in 2009, Brigadier Lasantha Wickramasuriya acknowledged that the Sri Lanka Army had used antipersonnel mines in the past and used non-detectable Belgian, Chinese, and Italian mines, as well as bounding and fragmentation mines of Pakistani, Portuguese, and United States (US) manufacture.[7]

Prior to the end of armed conflict, in particular in 2008 and 2009, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) laid large numbers of mines throughout the north of Sri Lanka.[8] Prior to its demise, the LTTE was considered expert in making explosive weapons. It was known to produce several types of antipersonnel mines: Jony 95 (a small wooden box mine), Rangan 99 or Jony 99 (a copy of the P4 MK1 Pakistani mine), SN 96 (a Claymore-type mine), fragmentation antipersonnel mines from mortars, and variants of some of these antipersonnel mines, including some with anti-handling features, as well as Amman 2000 MK1 and MKII antivehicle mines.[9]

Between 1987–1990, the Indian military/Indian peacekeeping forces also used landmines in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.[10]

Stockpiling and destruction

Sri Lanka possesses a significant stockpile of antipersonnel mines. Sri Lanka’s deadline for destruction is 1 June 2029. However, in November 2018, Sri Lanka stated its intent to complete stockpile destruction by the end of 2020.[11]

In its initial Article 7 report, submitted on 28 November 2018, Sri Lanka declared a stockpile of 77,865 antipersonnel mines.

Antipersonnel mines formerly stockpiled by Sri Lanka[12]

In November 2018, Sri Lanka announced that physical destruction of its stockpile had already started and that it intends to complete destruction by the end of 2020. Sri Lanka reported that the destruction of 57,033 antipersonnel mines had occurred prior to November 2018. Sri Lanka’s total stockpile prior to destruction commencing was 134,898 antipersonnel mines. The destruction that occurred prior to November 2018 is outlined in the table below.

In its May 2019 Article 7 report, Sri Lanka declared the destruction of 15,355 antipersonnel mines since its previous report. This is also shown in the following table.

Stockpiled antipersonnel mines destroyed by Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has 41,357 of the 62,510 remaining antipersonnel mines marked for destruction. It intends to retain the remainder for research and training.

Retention

In its initial Article 7 report, Sri Lanka declared the retention of 21,153 antipersonnel mines and reported the same number in its subsequent Article 7 report, showing that no antipersonnel mines have been consumed during training or for research.

Antipersonnel mines retained by Sri Lanka (as of 31 December 2018)

This represents the largest number of landmines currently retained by any State Party. Sri Lanka’s Article 7 report of May 2019 states that mines will be retained for training by the Sri Lanka Army, Air Force, Navy, and police forces.

In 2019, international contributions from nine states and the European Union (EU) supporting clearance and risk education activities in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka totaled US$15 million; which represents an increase of more than $7 million (105%) compared to 2018.[1]

Five donors contributed more than US$2 million each: the EU, Japan, the United States (US), Germany, and Norway. Sri Lanka did not receive international support for victim assistance in 2019. Instead, all funds were allocated to capacity-building, clearance, and risk education.

Sri Lanka has never reported its financial contribution to its mine action program. However, in a speech on the 2012 budget, then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa indicated that it was substantial, stating that since 2009 the army has been engaged in demining, rebuilding, and urban development at a cost of LKR5.4 billion (approximately $42 million).[2]

International contributions: 2019[3]

Note: N/A=not applicable.

Since 2015, international contributions to mine action in Sri Lanka have totaled over $41 million, and averaged some $8.2 million per year.

International assistance to mine action has considerably varied in recent years, ranging from a low of $4.6 million in 2016 to a high of $15 million in 2019.

Summary of contributions: 2015–2019[4]