Food running out in parts of Lanka: UN

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it was unable to get to northern parts of the country held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and warned the food situation there was becoming critical.

In some areas fuel was being sold at 400 percent the normal price and piped water was available only four hours a day, the group said.

It added that 204,000 people had left their homes since May 2004 across northeastern Sri Lanka, where rebels are battling government forces to set up a homeland for the country's Tamil minority.

"Without better access, WFP will not be able to continue feeding displaced persons living in areas outside of government control," said Jeff Taft-Dick, WFP country director, in a statement.

"In spite of high-level negotiations between the United Nations and the government of Sri Lanka the issue of humanitarian access to areas not under government control has not been resolved," the statement added.

He told reporters the situation was "extremely frustrating" with staff in the northern Jaffna peninsula and other rebel-held areas reporting food, water, and medical shortages.

In parts of Sri Lanka checkpoints prevent passage between government and rebel-held territory.

An aid shipment to the Jaffna peninsula arrived late Thursday and the process of unloading 1,500 tonnes of food has started.

But other areas of the country remained cut off, said Taft-Dick.

The LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka signed a ceasefire in 2002 but a resurgence in fighting has left some 1,500 dead since December.

Earlier the first aid ship to break a two week siege of Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula prepared to unload yesterday, while another Red Cross-flagged vessel left port to evacuate foreign nationals.

More than three weeks of fighting between the army and Tamil Tiger rebels has created a humanitarian crisis in north and east Sri Lanka and some 180,000 people have fled their homes. With road, air and sea links to Jaffna cut, shortages are rife.

Air strikes and artillery continued in parts of the region on Friday. Diplomats say Sri Lanka's two decade civil war between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has now effectively resumed, and returning to a 2002 ceasefire seems unlikely unless both make concessions.

The aid ship is carrying over 1,000 tonnes of rice, lentils and some tinned food from the government and the United Nations World Food Programme.