Christian Aid has condemned the killings of 15 local aid workers in Muttur, Sri Lanka over the weekend, which has sent shock waves across aid agencies working to help rebuild the region following the devastation experienced in the 2004 tsunami.

|PIC1|“Christian Aid sends its condolences to the families and colleagues of those killed,” said James Marchant, Christian Aid's Regional Manager for South Asia.

“This was a shocking incident which could call into question the ability of both local and international aid agencies to continue their work in the north and east. That work is now needed more than ever as increasing numbers of people are being displaced by the fighting.

“Civilians affected by the conflict are already among the most poor and vulnerable in Sri Lanka. We urge both sides to respect the ceasefire and return to peace talks in order to bring an end to the violence.”

The employees of Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), a Paris-based international aid agency, were found executed in their office. It is not yet known who is responsible.

Muttur, which is close to the main eastern town of Trincomalee, has been the scene of heavy fighting between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in recent days and many civilians have been forced to flee the area.

|AD|A ceasefire between the army and the LTTE has been in place since 2002, but in recent months violence has flared up again in the north and east of the country.

The deterioration in the security situation has affected the work being done by Christian Aid and other agencies to rebuild after the tsunami which devastated parts of the coastline in December 2004. Christian Aid is also working in the south and central areas of the island on tsunami rehabilitation and long-term development.

In addition, the International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Geoff Tunnicliffe has appealed to the Christian community not to forget Sri Lanka in their prayers, as the violent war rages in the backdrop of the worldwide media spotlight being given to Lebanon and the Middle East.

Tunnicliffe said: “Please pray for this country and for the Christians who risk their lives to reach and care for those caught in this civil conflict.

"While the world’s attention is fixed on the equally tragic events in the Mideast, little media coverage is given to the Sri Lankan civil war that is taking scores of innocent lives and displacing thousands of people in the island country.”

“Let us remember the people of Sri Lanka and lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer; may there be a swift and peaceful end to the fighting and bloodshed.”