Sri Lanka will need “international scrutiny” and “pressure” to rebuild the damage caused by “40 years of insurgency, civil war and ethnically biased centralisation,” concluded the International Crisis Group in its report on Sri Lanka’s new government.

The report listed 4 key themes that would be need to be tackled to see reconciliation and accountability by any new parliament formed in Sri Lanka’s upcoming parliamentary elections.  These included delivering on de-militarisation of the North-East, tackling barriers to impunity and accountability, deepening devolution and establishing an internationally supported truth telling process.

Calling on the need of Sri Lanka to address a “decades-long impunity crisis” the report said the new government should agree legal and institutional reforms, to allow for, witness protection, the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and enforced disappearances.

The report called on reforms in Sri Lanka that allowed for the establishment of a special court to try alleged war crimes that would include the possibility of involving foreign judges, prosecutors and legal staff.

Noting that Sri Lanka’s new government has “said little about its plans for longer-term restructuring of the post-war, post Rajapaksa military” the report called on “international partners” of Sri Lanka to develop a strategy “for the gradual reduction in the size and role of the military” in the North-East, “including a move away from its involvement in civilian and economic activities.”

Noting that UNP leaders have “opposed the TNA’s call for federal political solution,” the report called for the empowerment of the NPC and EPC as a “transitional step toward a lasting settlement of more than half-century power-sharing conflict between Colombo and the north and east.”

Outlining initial steps of devolving power to strengthen the Northern and Eastern provincial councils, the report called on the government to allow a development structure built on the active collaboration of the councils with international partners such as the US, EU, India UN and the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Calling for foreign funding to reach provincial councils directly the report added that the newly-established chief minister’s fund, should be allowed to function and collect foreign investment from abroad to help with provincial reconstruction and economic development.

On devolution and political settlement the report concluded that progress in political negotiations would be dependent on “the UNP gaining a convincing electoral victory and being able to forge a working consensus within its very broad coalition.”