Sri Lanka's target to be free of land mines by 2028 is under threat as US reviews aid

MANKULAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — Thavarathnam Pushparani fought on the front lines for the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels against the Sri Lankan forces in its decadeslong separatist war and later took to clearing the land mines on the same battle lines.

But the Trump administration's suspension of aid threatens Sri Lanka’s demining operations, pushing the livelihoods of thousands like Pushparani into uncertainty.

What is more uncertain for Sri Lanka now is its obligation to rid the island nation of mines by 2028 under the Ottawa Treaty, which it ratified in 2017.

Pushparani has experienced the civil war in its full fury. In her family, her husband, father and two brothers died fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as the rebel group was formally known. Two other siblings are missing.

She was born in eastern Sri Lanka and while still in school, her family had to move to the northern parts of the nation after a countrywide ethnic pogrom against minority Tamils by majority Sinhala mobs in 1983.

The incident stirred up emotions among many Tamil youth who joined militant organizations to fight for an independent state for the Tamils. Pushparani too joined the Tamil Tigers while still a teenager in school.

“Because the whole of my family was with the organization they arranged my marriage. My eldest daughter was born in 1990 and the younger one was born in 1992. My husband died in battle in 1996 and my children were raised in the "Sencholai" home, run by the organization," said Pushparani.

She was reunited with her children when the fighting ended in 2009 and started working with demining groups for a living.

Demining operations in Sri Lanka started in 2002 during a ceasefire period and the U.S. has been the major donor among 11 countries supporting the effort, contributing about 34% of the $250 million grants received for the projects so far.

The U.S. contribution was 45% of the grants received last year, according to M.M Nayeemudeen, director of the state-run National Mine Action Center.

Thanks to the international generosity, the demining operations continue to date despite being interrupted for a few years because of the break down of the ceasefire. They have so far managed to clear more than 2.5 million anti-personnel, anti-tank, small arms ammunition and unexploded ordnance.

Out of 254 square kilometers of land that originally needed to be cleared, only about 23 square kilometers are left to deal with. Whether that can be achieved by the 2028 deadline will depend on continued funding.

Nayeemudeen said once the aid suspension was announced, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry appealed and the U.S allowed the usage of its allocated funds pending a review, a decision on which is expected on May 1.

“We hope that on completion of the 90-day review period that commenced from Jan. 24, 2025, the U.S government funding assistance will continue," said Ananda Chandrasiri head of Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony, one of the four demining groups operating in the country.

"Otherwise it will create a grave problem for Sri Lanka to achieve mine-free status by the end of 2027 as targeted ... A huge reduction of staffing levels of the four operators would be inevitable.”

There are around 3,000 workers, most of them recruited from among the civil war-affected communities. With the uncertainty, some groups have already started terminating their staff, Nayeemudeen said.

Sri Lanka's civil war ended in 2009 when government troops crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, ending their quarter-century separatist campaign. According to conservative U.N. estimates, about 100,000 people were killed in the conflict.

Civilian properties were demined, but large areas were still contaminated when hundreds of thousands of civilians who were displaced by the conflict came back to resettle. Mine awareness campaigns were held, but there were many accidents.

Kumarakulasingham Dinojan has lost his left hand below his wrist and has damaged fingers in his right hand from a mine blast. As a 9-year-old boy, he tried to open a metal container that he found in the woods. His brother, who was playing with him, also suffered wounds.

“My grandmother went into the woods to get firewood and we also followed her. We did not know that she had reached home through another way. We found a container which looked like a perfumed powder, and when we tried to open it, it exploded,” said Dinojan.

There were people who were injured or killed trying to open mines and use the explosives for fishing.

Vidya Abhayagunawardena, coordinator of the Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Land Mines, said it's critical for Sri Lanka to ratify Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War. He also called for the enactment of domestic legislation to enforce the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified in 2016, to bolster the legal rights of the country’s disabled population.

Dinojan's older brother, Vilvaraj Vinothan, said his brothers becoming land mine victims made him take action and become involved in mine clearance. He has worked with the Mine Advisory Group for six years.

“Only when the land was being cleared that I understood how we should deal with the mines," he said. "That's when I decided to help, knowing it would benefit the entire community."

Pushparani is grateful that her demining income has allowed her to fulfill her family’s needs. She financed one daughter’s university education and her marriage. However, she also cares for a daughter injured in crossfire and an elderly mother.

“The reason for my choosing demining for livelihood is not only because of poverty. I also have a desire to see this land to be free of mines,” she said.

“I don't want to see our future generations being injured or affected by war. I can say that I am carrying the burden of both my family and of the country on my shoulders.”

Francis reported from Colombo.

Thavarathnam Pushparani hangs a portrait of herself with her late husband and their two daughters at her house in Paranthan, Sri Lanka, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, who works for a demining agency, uses a metal detector to scan for unexploded explosive devices in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan drops his younger brother Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, 15, who lost his left hand below his wrist and has damaged fingers in his right hand from a mine blast, in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavaraththinam Tharsini, left, joins her mother Thavarathnam Pushparani who is on a video call with her granddaughter at their home in Paranthan, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, center, who works for a demining agency, poses with his younger brothers Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, right, and Vilvaraj Jethurshan, both injured in a land mine explosion, in Mankindi, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, 15, who lost his left hand below his wrist and has damaged fingers in his right hand from a mine blast six years ago, spends time outside his home in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, 30, center left in brown shirt, who works for a demining agency, attends a Sinhala language course as a part of a vocational transition program in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan who works for a demining agency, uses a metal detector to scan for unexploded explosive devices in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani holds up her mobile phone to show a portrait of herself from the time she fought for the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels against Sri Lankan forces, at her home in Paranthan, Sri Lanka, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Scars from the wounds are seen on the legs of Vilvaraj Jethurshan, 16, who was injured in an explosion six years ago, as he stands at the doorway of his home in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, second left, who works for the demining agency Mine Advisory Group, arrives with fellow workers to report at work before entering a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, 15, in school uniform, stands with his elder brother Vilvaraj Jethurshan, 16, left, at the doorway of their house in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, second left, who works for the demining agency Mine Advisory Group, prepares to work in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani, left, monitors a fellow worker as they work in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, who works for a demining agency, stands by the main highway with runs across the former battlefields, in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani, left, spends time with her daughter Thavaraththinam Tharsini at their home in Paranthan, Sri Lanka, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, who works for the demining agency Mine Advisory Group, wipes his sweat as he returns from the contaminated mining area to take a break in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An unexploded device lies in the contaminated mining area near the house of Kumarakulasingham Dinojan and his elder brother Vilvaraj Jethurshan, in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani, second left in front row, listens to the safety instructions with her fellow workers before stepping into a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani, right, directs her team members as they prepare to work in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A worker in protective gear works in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, right, who works for a demining agency, holds his child as he interacts with his younger brothers, Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, center, and Vilvaraj Jethurshan, in the field near their home where where Dinojan and Jethurshan were injured in an explosion six years ago, in Mankindi, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Vilvaraj Vinothan, 30, who works for the demining agency Mine Advisory Group, excavates the ground in search for unexploded explosive devices in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Thavarathnam Pushparani, 56, puts on her protective gear to work in a contaminated mining area in Mankulam, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Kumarakulasingham Dinojan, 15, right, who lost his left hand below his wrist and has damaged fingers in his right hand from a mine blast six years ago, spends time with his brother Vilvaraj Jethurshan, 16, left, outside their house in Mankindy, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Virgil van Dijk scored a late winner against West Ham on Sunday to move Liverpool to within six points of the Premier League title.

A 2-1 victory at Anfield means Arne Slot's team needs to win just two more games to be certain of a record-equaling 20th English league title and draw level with Manchester United's total.

“A big relief,” was how the Liverpool manager described Van Dijk's 89th-minute header. “We saved a big set-piece for a very important moment.”

Liverpool had looked like dropping points when Andrew Robinson scored an own-goal in the 86th to level the game at 1-1 after Luis Diaz's first-half opener. But captain Van Dijk rose to head home and ensure the league leader took advantage after second-placed Arsenal slipped up on Saturday by drawing 1-1 with Brentford.

Chelsea came back from 2-0 down against relegation-fighting Ipswich to draw 2-2 and Wolves’ hopes of avoiding the drop were further boosted by a 4-2 win against Tottenham.

Wolves moved above West Ham on goal difference and up to 16th in the standings. Both teams need five more points to be certain of safety.

Liverpool could be crowned champion as early as next Sunday if Arsenal loses to Ipswich earlier that day.

The Merseyside club is 13 points clear at the top of the standings with six rounds to go.

Victory completed a week of celebrations for Liverpool supporters after top scorer Mohamed Salah ended uncertainty over his future by signing a new two-year contract.

He marked that new deal in style by maintaining his outstanding form this season to cross for Diaz's opener in the 18th minute.

It was his 45th goal or assist in the league this season, which set a new record for a 38-game Premier League campaign, according to statistician Opta.

He left the field late on to a standing ovation from the home fans.

West Ham twice came close to equalizing before Roberton's own-goal. Mohammed Kudus hit the bar in the first half and Jarrod Bowen was denied by Alisson when through on goal after the break.

Andre Onana was left out of Manchester United’s squad for the game against Newcastle following his latest high-profile errors for the club.

The Cameroon international was partially at fault for both goals in United’s 2-2 draw with Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday and was not even on the bench for the game at St James' Park.

“Sometimes, you have to push the player to play again, sometimes you have to let him disconnect a little bit,” United head coach Ruben Amorim said. “You have to manage everything, sometimes people just look at the physical aspect but the mental aspect is really, really important.”

It was United's 4,000th game in the English top flight.

Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa are the only other teams to reach that landmark.

Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season were dealt an unexpected blow by Ipswich.

Trailing 2-0 at halftime at Stamford Bridge, an own-goal from Axel Tuanzebe just after the break got Enzo Maresca's team back into the game.

Jadon Sancho leveled in the 79th, but it was still two points dropped for fifth-placed Chelsea, which could have moved above Manchester City in fourth.

Wolves need just five more points to be certain of safety after a 4-2 win against Spurs.

Rayan Ait-Nouri and an own-goal by Djed Spence gave Wolves a 2-0 lead at halftime. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha scored after the break, with Mathys Tel and Richarlison on target for Spurs.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Jadon Sancho, left, celebrates with Enzo Fernandez, centre, and Cole Palmer after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday April 13, 2025. (Nigel French/PA via AP)

Ipswich Town's Ben Johnson, center, scores their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday April 13, 2025. (Nigel French/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Jadon Sancho celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday April 13, 2025. (Nigel French/PA via AP)

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot follows the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Luis Diaz, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Luis Diaz in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Luis Diaz, right, in action against West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield in Liverpool, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)