Sri Lanka: Unrest amid nationwide state of emergency /update 1

Event

Rioting broke out in Kandy district, the hotspot of recent deadly unrest between Buddhists and Muslims, on Tuesday, March 6, and continued overnight. Three police officers were wounded in the clashes, which led to the arrest of seven people and came amid a ten-day nationwide state of emergency declared earlier in the day. As of Wednesday, schools remain closed across Kandy. Further security contingents have been deployed to the district to stop the unrest from spreading.

Context

The government declared the ten-day nationwide state of emergency on March 6 following clashes that broke out between Buddhists and Muslims in Kandy. A local curfew was imposed in the district on March 5, after days of unrest between the two religious communities. Two people have been killed in the violence, including one Buddhist killed by a Muslim mob and one Muslim killed in a fire; a number of Muslim business have been set on fire by Buddhist extremists and a mosque was attacked the week prior.

Tensions have been intensifying between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalizing Buddhist sites. In November 2017, riots in the south of the island left one man dead. In June 2014, riots between Buddhists and Muslims left four dead and many more injured.

Advice

Individuals present in Sri Lanka are advised to avoid Kandy district and follow all instructions issued by authorities (e.g. curfews).