The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today called for an end to indiscriminate attacks in Sri Lanka that it said killed at least 80 civilians in the past three months.
The agency also cited allegations that civilians have been killed, beaten, arrested or went missing after being "directly targeted" in the island nation, where 70,000 people have died since a civil war began in 1983.
At least 80 people "lost their lives in indiscriminate attacks on public transport and crowded public places" since April 1st, the ICRC said in a statement reminding all sides of the conflict that international law prohibits attacks on civilians.
Fighting has escalated in Sri Lanka since the government formally scrapped a six-year truce with the separatist LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in January.
Analysts say the military has had the upper hand in the latest phase of the conflict, as its superior air power and large numbers have allowed it to capture large swathes of terrain.