Colombo, July 10: Sri Lankan authorities have ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to cut back its relief operations across the South Asian country.
Colombo government sources said the decision was taken because there was no more fighting in the Island.
The instruction comes after the government forces defeated the forces belonging to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May.
ICRC has closed four offices and withdrawn its expatriate staff from Sri Lanka’s eastern regions following the government demand, according to a statement from the ICRC.
Jacques de Maio, the organization’s head of operations for South Asia said that “the ICRC is in the process of reviewing its setup and operational priorities” under new circumstances.
The relief agency played a crucial role in the northeast during the long-running conflict and provided assistance to thousands of civilians trapped in the fighting.
This is while the agency insists that thousands displaced people still need help to return home.
But some political groups in Sri Lanka have accused the ICRC of helping the rebels the during the war time.
The aid group has strongly denied the allegations.
—–Agencies