Sri Lanka Among The ‘Top Ten’ Humanitarian Crises

Sri Lanka has made it to the top ‘top ten’ worst emergencies in 2009 after the government blocked lifesaving assistance to trapped civilians, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in its annual list of the “Top Ten” humanitarian crises report.

The list was drawn from MSF’s operational activities in close to 70 countries, where the organisation’s medical teams witnessed some of the worst humanitarian conditions.

According to the report, three distinct patterns dominated in 2009: governments blocked lifesaving assistance to trapped populations, including in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Sudan, where aid groups-including some MSF teams were expelled.

In Sri Lanka, tens of thousands of civilians were trapped with no aid and limited medical care as government forces battled Tamil Tiger rebels in the spring. Aid groups, including MSF, were banned from entering the conflict zone, the report said.