Conflict affected areas in Sri Lanka get mine risk education

The USAID has granted USD 500,000 to the UNICEF in respect of the education programme, American Embassy said in a statement today.

"Mine risk education is a pre-requisite to ensure safety of the communities living in the former conflict zones. Our aim is to educate the people living in mine infested areas as well as those travelling to them and thereby reduce the potential risks," said James Bednar, USAID's local mission chief.

The initiative will disseminate data on casualties and suspected mined areas, prepare mine risk education materials, provide community and school based mine risk education and develop village mine action plans.

The ministry of economic development which coordinated the mine action programme with international assistance said last week that over 95 per cent of the areas infested with mines during the conflict had now been cleared.

However, some of the resettled people still do reserve injuries from unexploded ordinance laid in the areas.

Sri Lanka's civil war ended in 2009. Both the government troops and ethnic Tamil rebels were accused of serious rights violations during the civil war.