Sri Lanka conflict mapping project enters phase two

We are about to commence the next phase of our Sri Lanka Conflict Mapping and Archive Project (CMAP).

Phase one of CMAP included a detailed review of more than 60 different sources that had written or reported on alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka during the civil war (1983 -2009). Sources included international news wires, Sri Lankan newspapers and locally based and international non-government organisations, reports by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, Sri Lankan-based and international inquiries, the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross.

We have logged close to 3,500 incidents at over 500 towns across the entire territory of Sri Lanka.

In February 2018, we met with stakeholders in Sri Lanka to share our work. We received overwhelming support from donors and official endorsement from the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Measures.

Phase two of CMAP will focus on including more sources in English, Sinhala and Tamil, identifying the root sources of the information, and providing reflective overviews of the incidents. We will also be making the database accessible to the transitional justice mechanisms so they can leverage from our work.

Our mapping and archive work will make the work of transitional justice mechanisms more efficient, it will provide an evidence base on which they can develop their research and investigation strategies, and it will increase the chance that previous human rights work is used and relied upon.

We will continue to work with local civil society organisations in Sri Lanka, our outstanding law student interns, and team of pro bono lawyers. We are also very grateful for the continued advice and support from our Advisory Committee, chaired by John Ralston.