In a small northern village in Sri Lanka, the dirt tells a story. One that families have carried in silence for decades. Chemmani, once just a quiet Tamil village near Jaffna, is now known for something darker: mass graves. Hidden beneath the soil may lie hundreds of victims - ethnic Tamils believed to have been killed or disappeared during the civil war.

This June, the UN’s top human rights official, Volker Türk, visited the Chemmani grave site, where excavations recently unearthed 19 skeletons, including children. For people like 68-year-old Manuel Jeyachandra, whose son was taken by military personnel in 2008 and never seen again, this moment brought a flicker of fragile hope.

Jeyachandra is one of thousands of Tamil parents still waiting to know what happened to their missing loved ones. Since the war’s end in 2009, over 21,000 formal cases of missing persons have been submitted to Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons. Yet justice has been painfully slow. At least 384 parents have died without answers.

Many fear the government lacks the will or the courage to face its past. UN officials and human rights groups are calling for independent, international investigations and transparent excavations carried out to global forensic standards. Without truth, they warn, there can be no closure. And without closure, there can be no true peace.

The Tamil community, once silenced, is raising its voice again. Protests, vigils, and testimonies are emerging, led not only by elders, but by a new generation. Youth groups are stepping up, organizing exhibitions and public storytelling to preserve the memory of the disappeared and demand accountability.

For believers, this moment invites intercession. Scripture teaches that every hidden thing will one day be brought into the light (Luke 8:17). Justice delayed may not be justice denied, if the Church will weep with the grieving and pray for truth to break through the stone walls of impunity.

We pray for the God who sees, even in the soil, to raise up voices of righteousness, heal the deep wounds of war, and bring restoration to the land and people of Sri Lanka.

Prayer Pointers

1. Pray: for grieving families to find answers, and for the truth about the disappeared to be revealed with clarity and compassion.
2. Pray: to stir the Sri Lankan government to act justly and transparently, resisting cover-up and committing to full accountability.
3. Pray: for the Church in Sri Lanka to be a voice of healing, advocacy, and hope amid grief, silence, and suspicion.

Prayer – Praying for the people of Sri Lanka

Lord, shine Your light on every buried truth. Comfort grieving families who still wait. Let justice rise from the dust and move leaders to act with courage. Heal Sri Lanka’s wounds with truth, mercy, and the power of resurrection hope. Amen.

 “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:17 (ESV)

 More: https://www.ucanews.com/news/unearthing-the-truth-buried-in-sri-lankas-mass-grave-sites/109475