COUNTRY SUMMARY

Sri Lanka is contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) as a result of three decades of conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in May 2009. Both sides extensively used mines, including P4 Mk I and Mk II antipersonnel blast mines, laid in long defensive belts. Both landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were laid by LTTE.[1] Indian peacekeeping forces also used mines during their presence in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1990.[2]

Sri Lanka had initially projected completion of mine clearance by the end of 2020. However, it reported that insufficient international funding, along with the identification of 2.88km² ofnew contamination in 2019, had pushed back the completion date.[3] Sri Lanka has released a National Mine Action Completion Strategy for 2023–2027.[4]

Mine/ERW risk education is incorporated into the school curriculum in Northern and Eastern provinces, while risk education is provided at community level by national non-governmental organizations (NGOs).[5] Sri Lanka is responsible for significant numbers of mine survivors in need of assistance. The Ministry of Health collaborated closely with the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) to coordinate victim assistance activities.[6]

ASSESSING THE IMPACT

Contamination 

Extent of contamination[7]

 Note: CHA=confirmed hazardous area; SHA=suspected hazardous area; N/A=not applicable.

Landmine contamination

Sri Lanka’s security forces used antipersonnel and antivehicle mines throughout the conflict with the LTTE. All minefield locations were recorded, with data handed over to the national mine action program at the end of the conflict.

The LTTE laid nuisance and protective minefields in front of their defensive positions, using mostly antipersonnel mines but also antivehicle mines, improvised mines, and IEDs. Mines were also scattered on the ground during the LTTE’s rapid retreat in the north and east during the final stages of the conflict from 2006–2009. No LTTE minefield records were available.[8]

Demining operators in Sri Lanka have encountered a wide range of LTTE devices, including antipersonnel mines with anti-tilt and anti-lift mechanisms. Tripwire-activated Claymore-type mines were also used by the LTTE, in addition to improvised devices.[9]

Landmine contamination is still present in nine districts across Northern, Eastern, and North Central provinces. In total, 15.43km² of contaminated land covered 534 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) and 87 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) as of the end of 2022.[10]

Some of the remaining landmine contamination is in forested areas, where unique biodiversity is protected by legislative policies. Sri Lanka has stated that contamination will be cleared in line with International Mine Action Standard (IMAS) 07.13 on Environmental Management.[11]

The number of contaminated areas recorded in Sri Lanka has increased since 2017, with new SHAs identified as a result of livelihood activities after the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs).[12] During 2020, re-survey continued in Northern, Eastern, and North Central provinces to inform the strategy and workplan to completion.[13] In 2021–2022, non-technical survey was conducted jointly by the Sri Lankan Army and demining operators.[14]

Cluster munition remnants contamination

Sri Lanka is not believed to be contaminated by cluster munition remnants. However, since 2009, three demining operators have reported clearing cluster munition remnants, including unexploded submunitions, from at least six locations in northern Sri Lanka.[15] An operator, quoted in a 2016 media report, indicated that it could not be determined who used the cluster munitions, but that they may have been used at “any time within the last three decades.”[16]

Sri Lanka’s initial Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report, submitted in 2019, and its National Mine Action Completion Strategy 2023–2027, both state that Sri Lanka does not have cluster munition stockpiles, or contamination in areas under its jurisdiction or control.[17]

Other types of contamination

Sri Lanka remains contaminated with ERW including unexploded air-dropped bombs, artillery shells and missiles, mortar bombs, hand-held antitank projectiles, rifle grenades, and hand grenades. Large caches of abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) also exist, particularly in the north.[18] These are being cleared concurrently with the remaining minefields.[19]

Casualties

5-year casualties total: 2018–2022

Sri Lanka has recorded a total of 1,719 mine/ERW casualties, from 1985 to 2022.[20] However, the actual number of casualties is likely to be significantly higher.

In 2015, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 22,177 casualties had been recorded since the 1980s, including 1,603 civilians. From 2006–2009, accurate casualty data was difficult to access amid ongoing conflict, leading to under-reporting.[21] In April 2010, it was reported that since the 1980s, there had been 21,993 landmine casualties in Sri Lanka. This total included 1,419 civilian returnees; 3,770 recorded amputees among the armed forces, police, and civil defense forces; and 16,804 mine casualties among LTTE members.[22] 

     Casualties in 2022[23]

Casualty demographics in 2022

Casualties by civilian status in 2022

Casualties by device type in 2022

 Note: APM=antipersonnel mines; AVM=antivehicle mines; CMR=cluster munition remnants;   ERW=explosive remnants of war.

In 2022, Sri Lanka recorded three mine/ERW incidents in Northern province, with two men injured in Kilinochchi district and a girl injured in Mullaitivu district. All three casualties in 2022 were civilians. The type of mine or ERW involved was not reported in each case.[24]

Cluster munition casualties

No cluster munition casualties have been recorded in Sri Lanka by the Monitor. In 2009, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) published a report that referenced casualties due to what were described as cluster munitions. Yet the weapon was reported with the designation OFAB 500 ShR, a parachute-retarded aerial bomb with multiple warheads that, due to its size and weight, does not meet the definition of a cluster munition under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[25] This designation is consistent with reporting and images from use of OFAB 500 ShR bombs in 2008.[26]

COORDINATION 

Summary table

 Note: NMAC=National Mine Action Center; IMAS=International Mine Action Standards.

ADDRESSING THE IMPACT

Clearance

Management and coordination

Management and coordination overview

Sri Lanka’s national mine action program was established in 2002. NMAC was established in 2010, marking the program’s transition to national ownership from its previous management by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). NMAC operated under the Ministry of Housing and Construction during 2022.

The Regional Mine Action Office (RMAO) in Kilinochchi is responsible for coordination, tasking, and quality management. NMAC and RMAO work closely with District Steering Committees for Mine Action, which are chaired by the heads of district authorities.[27]

Legislation and standards

Sri Lanka has reported that land release operations are conducted in line with IMAS.[28]

NMAC is in the process of updating Sri Lanka’s national mine action standards and reviewing the Standard Operating Procedures among demining operators. Four national standards were drafted and awaiting final approval as of September 2022. Standards on land release, non-technical survey, and quality management were in the process of being updated in 2023.[29]

Strategies and policies

The National Mine Action Completion Strategy 2023–2027 features a revised clearance plan, based on the results of re-survey in Northern, Eastern, and North Central provinces.

In creating the strategy, several Sri Lankan government ministries, and operators, participated in stakeholder workshops in Colombo in June 2022, which were facilitated by NMAC and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).[30]A further workshop was held in September 2022 ahead of the strategy’s submission to the government for approval.[31] 

Information management

Sri Lanka uses Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Next Generation. NMAC plans to transfer to IMSMA Core, with support from GICHD.[32]

Sri Lanka noted in March 2023 that its IMSMA reporting forms did not include requirements for additional explanation for decisions on reduction and cancellation. By the end of 2023, all relevant IMSMA forms were to be reviewed and updated in line with national standards.[33]

Gender and diversity

Sri Lanka reported in 2023 that it is committed to ensuring mine action activities are sensitive to gender and diversity, and to continuing mainstreaming efforts. Sri Lanka reported that mine action data is disaggregated data by sex, age, and disability.[34] 

In June 2022, Sri Lanka held an online gender and diversity workshop facilitated by GICHD, to aid the mainstreaming of gender and diversity into mine action activities.[35]

The alignment of Sri Lanka’s mine action strategy with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender Equality; the Women, Peace and Security agenda; and the United Nations (UN) Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programs, provides a strong framework in this area.[36] 

In 2020, a GICHD study found that 50% of female Sri Lankan deminers interviewed were the sole income earners in their households, and that more than one-third of women deminers did not receive any income before being employed in mine action, compared to 1 in 20 men.[37]

Clearance operators

National clearance operators include the Sri Lankan Army-Humanitarian Demining Unit and the Skavita Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Project (SHARP). SHARP has worked as a national subcontractor of Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) since 2010.[38]

International demining operators in Sri Lanka include the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which have both worked in country since 2002.[39]

Land release: antipersonnel landmines

2022 land release overview: Landmines[40]

 Note: APM=antipersonnel mines.

In 2022, Sri Lanka reported clearing 29,599 antipersonnel landmines, as well as 73 antivehicle mines and 33,322 ERW.[41] The Monitor reported clearance in Sri Lanka totaling 11.8km².

In 2022, the HALO Trust reported released a total of 2.65km² of land in Sri Lanka, destroying 12,351 antipersonnel landmines, including 115 destroyed during explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) spot tasks. It also destroyed five antivehicle mines and 10,036 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO).[42]

Five-year landmine clearance: 2018­–2022[43]

 Note: APM=antipersonnel mines; N/R=not reported.

Consistent annual data on landmine clearance has not been provided by Sri Lanka. However, it was reported that since 2002, a total of 5,152 areas, totaling 1,312.11km², had been cleared of mines/ERW. As of the end of 2022, a total of 878,786 antipersonnel mines and 1,562,294 ERW (including antivehicle mines) had been destroyed during clearance operations.[44]

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 clearance deadline

Summary of Article 5 clearance deadline extension request(s)

  Note: N/A=not applicable.

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.[45] In accordance with Article 5, Sri Lanka aims to ensure the destruction of all antipersonnel mines as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2028.

In 2022, Sri Lanka cited several possible barriers to meeting this deadline, including reduced international donor funding, climate-induced changes, mine clearance in forests and wildlife reserves, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the presence of improvised mines.[46]

Land release: cluster munition remnants

No clearance of cluster munitions remnants was reported in 2022.

In 2016, it was reported that three clearance operators had cleared cluster munition remnants, including unexploded submunitions, from six sites in northern Sri Lanka since 2009.[47] 

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 clearance deadline

Sri Lanka acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 March 2018. The convention entered into force for the country on 1 September 2018. Sri Lanka reports that it does not have any cluster munition remnants contamination in areas under its jurisdiction or control.[48] 

Residual hazards

As completion approaches, Sri Lanka is set to transition to address future residual mine/ERW risks. The Sri Lankan Army-Humanitarian Demining Unit has a prominent role in the national mine action program, meaning that Sri Lanka is well positioned to manage residual risk.[49] Sri Lanka will ensure that the recording and sharing of data continues, using IMSMA Core.[50]

The national strategy for 2023–2027 includes an objective on staff transition, as thousands of deminers will require alternative employment as the program gradually reduces in size.[51]

Risk education 

Highlights from 2022

Management and coordination

Management and coordination overview 

NMAC coordinates risk education activities in Sri Lanka, with demining operators organizing programs. Risk education is coordinated at both national and district level, including through the education system and village-level mine action committees. RMAO also runs programs.[52]

Legislation and standards

Sri Lanka’s national standard on risk education was reviewed in line with IMAS.[53]

Strategies and policies 

Sri Lanka’s national mine action strategy for 2023–2027 requires that risk education programs are developed on the basis of needs assessments; and are sensitive to gender, age, disability, and the diversity of affected communities.[54]

Information management

The reporting of risk education data in Sri Lanka has not been consistent or rigorous.[55] 

Gender and diversity

Risk education activities reached women, girls, men, and boys in 2022.[56] Risk education teams in Sri Lanka are reported to observe gender norms.[57]

Risk education operators

During 2022, NMAC coordinated risk education activities, RMAO provided risk education to district and local officials, and the Sri Lankan Police delivered safety messages and prevented illegal activities in relation to the collection of UXO. The Ministry of Education oversees the inclusion of risk education into the school curriculum in Northern and Eastern provinces.[58]

Local NGOs are also permitted to conduct risk education under NMAC. UNICEF, along with international NGOs including the HALO Trust and MAG, have also supported activities.[59]

Beneficiary data

Beneficiary data in 2022[60]

 Note: N/R=not reported.

Target groups

Context-specific mine/ERW risk education is provided to all affected populations and at-risk groups. Programs in Sri Lanka are developed on the basis of needs assessments, and tailored to the threat encountered by the local population.[61]

People from the south of Sri Lanka who visit the north and east are at higher risk due to a lack of knowledge on mine/ERW contamination. Livelihood activities such as farming, and scrap metal and firewood collection, were also considered high risk.[62]

Risk education was provided to forest officers in all districts of Northern province. As a result of these sessions, several new hazardous areas were identified in 2022.[63]

Resettled civilians were targeted, to raise awareness of the mine/ERW threat during livelihood activities, and to ensure that suspicious objects were reported. Due to mine and ERW incidents resulting from new development projects, illegal explosives harvesting, and sand mining, risk education was provided to people involved in those activities.[64]

RMAO primarily targets district and village administrative officers, government departments, police officers, construction workers, and schools in high-risk areas.[65]

In 2022, RMAO continued to provide risk education to police officers in Northern province. These sessions were reported to have aided implementation of EOD spot tasks, in the context of obtaining court orders for mine/ERW callouts after reports of ordnance from civilians.[66]

Delivery methods

Risk education is integrated into the school curriculum in Northern and Eastern provinces. Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) training materials and tools were developed and disseminated in the Tamil and Sinhala languages.[67]

Participants of risk education sessions in Sri Lanka were often given umbrellas, caps, exercise books, water bottles, and posters in order to attract crowds and draw attention.[68]

All areas known or suspected to contain antipersonnel landmines are marked. Warning signs, which are replaced and maintained regularly, are displayed in Sinhala, Tamil, and English.[69]

Victim assistance

Highlights from 2022

In 2022, NMAC allocated 5 million Sri Lankan rupees (approximately US$15,500) to provide immediate assistance to mine/ERW victims. The support included livelihood assistance, water and sanitation facilities, as well as prosthetics, orthotics, and assistive devices.

Management and coordination

Legal frameworks or policies on disability inclusion

The National Council for Persons with Disabilities, with the support of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Implementation Support Unit (ISU) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), convened a multistakeholder workshop in 2022 on updating the National Action Plan on the Equalization of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Provincial-level consultations were held, and the national action plan was amended to require the National Disability Council to consult persons with disabilities on public decision-making processes, as well as their representative organizations.[70]

The Ministry of Social Services leads on matters pertaining to persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka. The ministries for health, education, and defense also provide assistance.[71]

Strategies and policies

Sri Lanka’s National Mine Action Completion Strategy 2023–2027 outlines NMAC’s victim assistance responsibilities, covering awareness-raising, coordination, and data collection.[72]

Information management

NMAC maintains a database on mine/ERW victims, though reporting is often inconsistent.[73]

Victim assistance providers

The Ministry of Social Services oversees issues related to persons with disabilities.

The government-run Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Center provides physical rehabilitation, socio-economic inclusion services, and other assistance to disabled veterans.

The Jaffna Jaipur Center for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR) provides rehabilitation services, prosthetics, and psychosocial assistance. Social Organizations Networking for Development (SOND) provides emergency support and economic assistance to new landmine and ERW survivors. Caritas Valvuthayam Mannar provides prosthetics and mobility devices.

International providers of victim assistance in Sri Lanka include the Meththa Foundation, which provides prosthetics and mobility devices. Humanity & Inclusion (HI) provides rehabilitation and disability inclusion services.[74]

Needs assessment

A survey was being undertaken by NMAC in Northern, Eastern, and North Central provinces, to verify data that had identified 403 victims across five districts, as of the end of 2022.[75]

The Ministry of Health was developing a hospital-based injury surveillance system in 2023, with the aim of registering all incidents including those caused by mines/ERW.[76]

Medical care and rehabilitation

Five rehabilitation hospitals provided services to mine/ERW survivors in 2022: the Ragama Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital, the Digana Rehabilitation Hospital, the Maliban Rehabilitation Hospital, the Jayanthipura Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Kandagolla Rehabilitation Hospital. The Ragama hospital functions as a national hospital, while the other four operate at provincial level.[77] National and international NGOs provided rehabilitation services in the north and east of Sri Lanka.[78]

Several initiatives aimed to improve rehabilitation services, including the adoption of National Guidelines on Rehabilitation Services, and the adaptation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Assistive Devices List to the Sri Lanka context.[79]

JJCDR provided prosthetics, rehabilitation, and socio-economic assistance, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). JJCDR also visited amputees at the government-run Jaffna Teaching Hospital for post-amputation care, and made field visits.[80]

Caritas Valvuthayam Mannar works with NMAC to provide prosthetics and mobility devices at the Mannar Rehabilitation Center, and runs an outreach program covering areas including Kilinochchi, Mullaithievu, and Puttalam.[81]

The Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Center provides physical rehabilitation, socio-economic inclusion, and other assistance to disabled veterans.[82]

The Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF), under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has supported the WHO and Results for Development (R4D) to strengthen and integrate rehabilitation services into Sri Lanka’s healthcare system.[83]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

There is an absence of efforts to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka, particularly in rural areas, limiting their economic and social inclusion.[84]

Psychological support is available in all districts of Northern province, where NGOs were also reported to be providing counseling services.[85]