The ICRC has maintained a constant presence in Sri Lanka since 1989, acting as a neutral intermediary in the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and providing assistance to those affected by fighting and natural disaster.

The ceasefire agreement of early 2002 officially ended in mid-January 2008, though fighting between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army had resumed in mid-2006 along the east coast and on the edges of the Vanni. The number of casualties among civilians has been sharply increasing. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of alleged IHL and human rights violations and of mass population displacements in the north and east.

In collaboration with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, the ICRC distributes shelter material and other emergency relief items to the newly displaced, improves water and sanitation facilities and provides support for medical services.

The security of ICRC and National Society staff remains a serious concern, with three Sri Lankan Red Cross workers abducted and murdered during 2007.

The ICRC continues to call on both parties to the conflict to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian law.

Presence (2008): 589 staff including 69 expatriates