The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officially launched a new programme to help former fighters in the East reintegrate into society, providing equipment and supplies to start their own small businesses.
Chief Minister of the Eastern Province Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, participated in the event in Batticaloa.
USAID, the development agency of the U.S. government, is funding the two-year project to facilitate reintegration of 1,000 former fighters in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts. The project has registered nearly 400 former fighters.