When their colleagues finally arrived, they discovered the bodies of 17 Sri Lankan employees of the international NGO Action Against Hunger in the organization’s compound in Muttur, Sri Lanka. The victims had been lying in the dirt for approximately two days, succumbing to decomposition in the heat. The tragic discovery occurred on August 6, 2006, revealing that the workers had been executed.
Most of the deceased were newly graduated individuals hired to assist the NGO amid the increased demands following the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Among them, only one was not Tamil, and four were women, including a father and daughter.
Two decades later, no one has been held accountable for this atrocity. However, there is renewed hope that the Sri Lankan government’s recent commitment to a global declaration aimed at protecting humanitarian aid workers could pave the way for justice.
“This incident remains a heavy burden in my life,” shared a former colleague who witnessed the scene and requested anonymity while speaking to The Guardian. “I still struggle to sleep.”
Multiple investigations have pointed to potential involvement by Sri Lankan security forces, who have consistently denied any wrongdoing. Family members and witnesses have reported experiencing intimidation to keep silent about the events.
In June, Action Against Hunger submitted an official plea to the Sri Lankan government for a new and unbiased investigation, but they have yet to receive a response.
Perrine Benoist, co-director of ACF France, emphasized that the ongoing lack of accountability “signals that such attacks can occur without repercussions.” She noted a distressing increase in assaults against humanitarian workers and stressed the urgency for Sri Lankan authorities to provide answers and ensure justice is achieved.
The ACF team had traveled to Muttur by ferry from their base in Trincomalee on August 1 to deliver essential aid, a routine trip disrupted by ongoing clashes between government forces and Tamil rebels. As violence escalated, they sheltered in the compound while many civilians evacuated the area.
The last communication from the group to Trincomalee occurred on the morning of August 4, 2006.
In the following days, alarming rumors emerged. The former staff member recounted receiving a call from a local resident in Muttur, alerting them to the presence of human remains in the ACF courtyard, being scavenged by crows and dogs.
After two days of desperate attempts to reach Muttur, ACF colleagues finally accessed the compound, where they found 15 bodies in front of the main building, each shot in the head, suggesting they had been executed while kneeling. Two additional bodies were discovered near a vehicle, all in clothing identifying them as ACF personnel.
Fabrice Carbonne, a colleague, remembered the dedicated team of workers who often volunteered for extra tasks. Initially puzzled by the late hours they kept at the office, he realized it served as a social refuge, allowing young men and women to connect outside of strict societal norms.
Having stepped down from his position only a month prior to the attack, Carbonne was in Paris when he received a distressing call from a former coworker. He recalled hastily writing down the names of the deceased, one of whom was a close friend, SP Anantharajah, aged 32, who left behind a two-year-old daughter. Carbonne remembered Anantharajah’s candidness, recalling how he had questioned him about his age and tenure when he first arrived at the office.
Amuthan Sivajnanam, now 52, lost his sister Kovarthani, 27, in the attack. She had joined ACF two years prior, providing essential services to families affected by civil war.
“For her, humanitarian work was more than just a job; it was her calling,” Sivajnanam stated. She was unmarried and devoted her life to aiding those who had lost everything, he added.
Sivajnanam himself worked as a security guard for ACF, believing that humanitarian workers were safeguarded by international law and moral obligation.
In the aftermath of the massacre, investigations conducted by Sri Lankan authorities faced serious allegations of witness intimidation and evidence manipulation. ACF released a report in 2013 alleging that Sri Lankan security forces were responsible for the killings.
A 2014 investigation by the UN Human Rights Office concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe members of the security forces were involved in the extrajudicial killings of the ACF staff, although the forces claimed rebel Tamil fighters were to blame. This inquiry revealed threats and harassment directed at witnesses and legal officials involved in the case.
To this day, many former ACF employees and their relatives choose to share their experiences anonymously due to ongoing intimidation. Sivajnanam described the immense pressure families faced to avoid speaking with international journalists or human rights organizations, stating, “The message was clear: remain silent or face dire consequences.” He eventually sought refuge in France, where he currently resides.
Today, Sivajnanam asserts, “I refuse to remain anonymous; fear has already taken too much from us. I want the world to remember my name, my sister’s name, and the names of the 16 others who were lost.”
