After 30 years of uncertainty, a family comes home
In brief
This family of five has had 30 years of displacement and instability from the Sri Lankan Civil War. They could finally return home once The HALO Trust cleared the explosives from their land.
When Kiddan Mangalaeswaran and his wife Rosammah began their life together, they dreamed of making a lasting home for their family.
In 1991, this dream came one step closer to reality when they bought land in Muhamalai, a town in northern Sri Lanka. They hoped to raise their three daughters there.
Just a few years later, in 1995, the Sri Lankan Civil War uprooted this budding future. The family had to leave their beloved home when Muhamalai became a dangerous front line between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.
For years after they left, displacement was a recurrent reality. They moved several times and faced constant instability. Kiddan struggled to support his wife and daughters as a day labourer.
The conflict ended in 2009. However, the remaining weapons still threatened communities long after peace was declared.
Muhamalai had turned into one of the world's most crowded minefields during the war. By the end, an area three times the size of Central Park was filled with landmines and explosives.
The family knew that even if they came back, they wouldn’t be able to live safely – the danger still lingered.
Bright new beginnings
Everything changed when The HALO Trust began clearing Muhamalai. This included Kiddan and Rosammah's land.
After the last explosive was destroyed in 2024, the land was declared safe. By July of that year, the family had made one final move: back to their long-awaited home.
Now, they are taking back the lives they left behind all those years ago.
A family stands in front of their home.
"We never thought we’d get our land back. Even our children doubted we would see this day.
But now, we are truly thankful. Having our own land allows us to look to the future with hope. My daughters will stay close, and my children will have a stable home to grow up in," Kiddan says.
Since his family's homecoming, Kiddan has worked diligently at rebuilding their future.
Now, they are building a permanent house and a well so they can access clean water on the property. Kiddan divided the land among his daughters. He hopes this will give them lasting stability for generations.
It is safe to say that Kiddan and Rosammah's dream has come back to life.
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the atrocious and cowardly targeted attack against humanitarian mine clearance workers that took place in Baghlan-e-Markazi, Afghanistan, on 8 June 2021.
The attack, which was claimed by Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) an entity affiliated with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), resulted in at least 10 people killed and wounded more than a dozen people, many of whom were of the Hazara minority.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Afghanistan and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Deliberately targeting humanitarian workers is especially abhorrent and must be condemned.
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice. They urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.
They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
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