WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“Today we remember all those affected by Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, especially the women, children, and families who bore the heaviest burden of this conflict.

“Since the war has ended, the Sri Lankan government has expressed a commitment to address the conflict’s root causes and to focus on accountability, transitional justice, and reconciliation among all the communities in the country.

“Ultimately though, the Sri Lankan people, including civil society and nongovernmental organizations, must push the healing process forward. In the wake of the cowardly and horrific, Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, such efforts to promote unity and protect vulnerable communities, including religious and ethnic minorities, are even more important.

“Ten years after the war’s end, the United States Congress continues to support efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to address the root causes of the conflict and meet the needs of all ethnic and religious groups.”