Guinea
Liberia
Sierra Leone
The West African, or Mano River, region has suffered a series of civil wars throughout the 1990s, with the worst affected countries being Liberia and Sierra Leone. One of the greatest effects of the conflict has been the displacement of large numbers of the regions population, particularly to relatively stable countries such as Guinea. In 2001 UNOCHA estimated that over one million of the regions 15 million inhabitants was either an IDP or a refugee. The peace process in Sierra Leone has continued prompting the return of thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries, however the overall regional security situation is precarious as a result of an upsurge in conflict in Liberia that continues to displace people within the country and into neighbouring countries.
Table showing numbers of IDPs and refugees in West African Region (USAID 12/06/02)
|
|
IDPs |
Refugees |
Total |
|
Guinea |
200,000 - |
170,000 |
370,000 - |
|
|
250,000 |
|
420,000 |
|
Liberia |
78,000 |
55,000 |
133,000 |
|
Sierra Leone |
31,000 |
25,000 |
56,000 |
|
Total |
762,000 |
250,000 |
1,012,000 |
Guinea has traditionally been relatively stable in a region marked by successive civil conflicts. As a result, it has been the destination for many refugees seeking a haven from conflict. The security of the country was disrupted in 2000 as a result of incursions from armed groups from Sierra Leone, mostly in the Gueckedou area and around Macenta and N’Zerekore. The attacks occurred in areas where there were large amounts of refugees and resulted in widespread loss of life, destruction of property and mass displacements of both the existing refugee communities and local populations. The international response was to move the refugees inland and away from the border areas. The majority moved to the new camps but some have stayed near the borders and currently receive no assistance. There have been no further reports of conflict or tension within Guinea itself but the reporting period has seen the arrival of large amounts of new refugees from Liberia.
The funding for the Consolidated Interagency Appeal (CAP) has been extremely poor and is currently only 30 % funded. This continues to have very adverse affects on the ability of the humanitarian community to respond to the needs of the refugees in Guinea and is of particular concern because the number of Liberians arriving in Guinea has increased dramatically and is placing further pressures on the limited resources.
Refugees
The majority of refugees are currently hosted in the Albadaria and Dabola regions in Upper Guinea but there are also refugee camps in Macenta and N’Zerekore in the Forest region, close to the Liberian border. Ongoing violence in Liberia has forced over 13,000 new refugees to flee into Guinea in the last month, more than tripling the number of new arrivals since the beginning of the year (UNICEF 03/07/02). Approximately 7,000 Liberians entered the country on 13 June 2002 alone (UNICEF 17/06/02) and it is estimated that 80 % are women and children. It is also reported that significant numbers of Liberian refugees could still arrive in the country and humanitarian agencies are making contingency plans. The majority of the new refugees are staying in the N’Zerekore region. In order to cope with the new influx, the government of Guinea has approved the creation of a new refugee camp at a location called Laine, 60 Km north east of N’Zerekore. However the latest reports indicate that local authorities have suspended the setting up of the camp. The RNIS does not have any nutritional information on the new refugees but they are assumed to be in poor condition with some having travelled for many days to reach the border.
The continued peace in Sierra Leone has continued to prompt the return of refugees from Guinea. The process has been facilitated by the opening of the Pamelap-Kambia axis in March, which has allowed many to travel overland across the Guinea-Sierra Leonean border, which until recently had not been possible. In May 2002, UNHCR estimated that 30,000 Sierra Leoneans had returned home since the start of 2002 (USAID 12/06/02). As a result, the camp population of Sierra Leoneans has fallen and it is currently estimated that about 43,000 Sierra Leoneans remain within Guinea.
Overall
The situation in Guinea remains calm but there is concern over the number of refugees currently arriving from Liberia, which threaten to overwhelm the resources and capacity of the humanitarian community. They should be considered extremely vulnerable (category II). The remaining refugee community is stable and is not considered to be at elevated risk (category III). Refugee returns to Sierra Leone are ongoing and this is resulting in a dramatic decrease in the number of registered camp refugees.
Recommendations
From the RNIS
· Support the UN Consolidated Appeal.
· Establish a new camp for newly arrived Liberian refugees.
· Continue nutritional surveillance.
The humanitarian situation in Liberia continues to be extremely serious. The country is still suffering the effects of a crippling ten-year civil war, which ended in 1997. The war left the country in ruins and it remains one of the most impoverished countries in the world. There is very little access to any form of basic health care and it is estimated that 85 % of Liberians are unemployed due to the collapse of the economy and, as a result, 76 % of the entire population live below the poverty line and live on one dollar a day. A further 52 % of that group are categorised as living in absolute poverty, surviving on less than 50 cents a day. The poor economic outlook has also resulted in a general increase in the price of essential goods and increased the vulnerability of large sections of the population. The economic outlook has been further affected by the imposition of UN sanctions because of the government’s support of rebel groups in neighbouring countries.
The deplorable state of the country’s infrastructure and the lack of economic opportunities have created enormous vulnerabilities for much of the population. These have been exacerbated over the course of 2002 as a result of conflict between government forces and those of the rebel opposition group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). The fighting has been centred around the northern areas of the country, particularly in Lofa and Grand Cape mount counties, and has moved even closer to the capital Monrovia, prompting the announcement of a state of national emergency in February 2002. The fighting has continued to escalate over the reporting period and has resulted in mass displacements, with people fleeing both within the country and across the borders, in large numbers to Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The current situation
The humanitarian situation has continued to deteriorate dramatically as a result of an escalation of fighting during the month of May 2002. The fighting, which had been concentrated in Lofa county, spread to Bong and Bomi counties causing massive population movement to Ganta, Bomi, Grand Bassa and Margibi counties (UNICEF29/05/02). Fighting in and around the city of Gbarnga in Bong County resulted in the displacement of up to 70,000 people, including 30,000 IDPs from pre-existing camps, and up to 40,000 of the local population (UNOCHA 16/05/02). Humanitarian agencies estimate that there are now over 110,000 registered IDPs in the country with more continuing to be displaced. (UNOCHA 31/05/02).
An area of great concern has been the Sinje IDP and refugee camps in the north west of the country, close to the Sierra Leonean border. Sinje has been host to approximately 24,000 people, including 11,000 Sierra Leonean refugees, and the area has been the scene of frequent insecurity for some months. As a result of the insecurity, the camps have been cut off from humanitarian access for over a month and concern has been building over the fate of the camp inhabitants. The camp itself was attacked on 20 June 2002 and, although some of the affected population have arrived in camps in Monrovia, the fate of many is not known. The area has been suffering heavy rain and the condition of those who have fled to the bush is almost certainly deteriorating (UNHCR 12/07/02). There have also been increasing reports of large numbers of Liberians leaving the country to Sierra Leone and Guinea and this trend is continuing. It is estimated that over 30,000 have fled the country this year alone.
The fighting has had a huge and negative impact on the economy of the country and has driven up the prices of essential basic commodities, further deteriorating people’s ability to access food sources. Humanitarian sources have also expressed concern that the current insecurity could impact negatively on the mid term food security of the country because the current planting season is being severely disrupted (UNOCHA 06/06/02). The fighting has left many increasingly unable to cope with the deteriorating situation and there is a great need for external assistance to ensure that the basic needs of the population are met. Given the increasing needs within the country, it is alarming to note that the UN Consolidated Interagency Appeal is only 22 % funded and requires further donor commitment.
Bong County
ACF conducted a food security assessment in May 2002 in the town of Tota in Salala district. The town has remained free of security incidents but has been hosting a large IDP population from surrounding areas and, in particular, from the attacks on Gbarnga. The assessment indicated that farming activities are ongoing but are seriously curtailed by the ongoing insecurity. The availability of food in the markets is good but it is not available to IDPs and to the majority of the local population. Since most of western Liberia has been effected by insecurity, which has traditionally supplied the capital with much of its food requirements, the central regions are under increased pressure to supply food. As a result, available food sources are bought by traders from Monrovia and shipped straight to the capital.
The major constraint faced by IDPs is the lack of cash with which they can purchase food. One of the main sources of cash is through casual work but this is becoming increasingly scarce due to the large number of people available. Wild food sources are increasingly limited and the increasing number of IDPs means that residents are increasingly unable to support them. Many of the IDPs interviewed indicated that they had already resorted to erosive coping strategies such as the selling of personal items and key assets and more than half indicated that begging had been their main source of food the previous day (ACF 05/02). The main concerns from the assessment were that both food availability and accessibility were extremely poor and that there were indications of more desperate coping strategies employed by IDPs. The assessment also indicated that there was increasing evidence of poor nutritional status although no data exists. The IDPs must be considered to be extremely vulnerable and further deteriorations in their situation can be expected unless the overall security situation improves dramatically in the near future.
Overall
Liberia is suffering from a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation as a result of ongoing fighting between the government and rebel troops. The fighting comes on top of years of past conflict that have left the country in ruins and the population at large hugely impoverished. Assessments of the current food security situation indicate that it is extremely poor and that people are turning to increasingly unsustainable strategies to meet their basic subsistence needs. IDPs and refugees in the country should be assumed to be extremely vulnerable (category II).
Recommendations
From the RNIS
· Support the Interagency appeal.From the ACF food security assessment in Bong county, May 2002
· Negotiate access to areas.
· Establish facilities for the treatment of malnutrition.· Consider important security implications of assistance, as it appears to be drawing people in large numbers to specific locations.
· Implement regular and adequate food distributions.
Sierra Leone has and is still suffering the effects of more than a decade of civil war that has left much of the country in ruins, destroyed the economy, resulted in the mass displacement of population, both within the country and as refugees in the region, and left many people in positions of extreme poverty and with limited ability to cope. The internal conflict has created a disastrous humanitarian situation, with Sierra Leone situated at the very bottom of the Human Development Index chart and its people amongst the poorest on earth.
The current outlook is greatly improved as a result of an ongoing peace process that has resulted in the official end of the war and the mass disarmament and demobilisation of the various warring parties. It is estimated that in total, in excess of 72,500 combatants, including 6,845 children, were demobilised (UNICEF 29/05/02). The peace process, and the stability that it has brought to the country, has been greatly facilitated by the presence of the largest UN peace-keeping force in world, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNMASIL), which consists of 17,500 troops. The UN troops have played a vital role in overseeing the disarmament process in all areas of the country, ensuring the safe return of IDPs and Sierra Leonean refugees to their areas of origin.
An indication of just how far the peace process has come was given on 14 May 2002, when presidential elections were held with an estimated national voter turn out of 80 %. The elections were won by president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with 70.6 % of the vote and were remarkable for their apparent transparency and peacefulness (UNOCHA 31/05/02). This bodes well for the ongoing internal stability of the country and paves the way for the essential tasks of reconstruction and rehabilitation that are now essential for the development and the general well being of the country and its population.
Humanitarian Situation
The humanitarian situation has continued to improve over the reporting period as a result of a generally good internal security situation. This has been greatly assisted by the presence of UN-MASIL troops and the injection of 2 billion US dollars. However, the UN has announced that the peacekeepers will be downsized significantly from December 2002, although there are currently no details as to how many troops will be withdrawn (UNOCHA 28/06/02). Some observers have warned that although the situation is currently extremely encouraging in terms of internal stability, the potential for deterioration in the overall situation exists. This is a result of underlying ethnic tensions in the country and the need to address the enormous human rights violations that took place during the civil war. The high number of demobilised militias is also cause for concern because, although they have received assistance, it is often woefully late and inadequate. Many are reported to be disillusioned with the lack of employment opportunities and there is real concern that there could be a return to violence if the re-integration process is not speeded up to provide suitable livelihood opportunities (ICG 15/07/02).
The ongoing internal stability has meant that all areas of the country have now opened up to both humanitarian agencies and the government. This has allowed essential humanitarian assistance to reach areas that have been inaccessible for years. The findings of many assessment missions indicate that fighting has destroyed much of the infrastructure and that the rebuilding and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure is essential. However, the overall food security situation in the country looks promising as a result of both the good security and an agricultural recovery. There are estimated to be 32,000 IDPs throughout the Bo and Kenema districts as well as approximately 23,000 IDPs in Freetown camps (UNOCHA 31/05/02). The number of IDPs in camps has continued to fall as many have returned to their areas of origin. Resettlement was briefly stopped over the period of the election but resumed on 4 June 2002 in the formerly inaccessible areas of Kono and Tonkolili (UNICEF 10/06/02). The greatest challenge to the current humanitarian situation is the continued need to provide support to the large number of returning IDPs and refugees, all of whom require assistance to support them whilst they establish sustainable livelihood activities in previously war ravaged areas.
There is cause for considerable concern with the upsurge in conflict within neighbouring Liberia. The reporting period has seen the continuation of fighting between the Liberian army and rebels. The escalation in the fighting has been particularly focused in the north and west of the country and has forced tens of thousands of people to flee the instability and seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Sierra Leone has received some of the highest numbers of Liberians and the greatly increased return of Sierra Leonean refugees from camps near the Liberian capital. It is estimated that 17,000 Liberian refugees and close to 8,000 returnees have crossed the border into Kailahun and Pujehun districts, during June 2002 alone (UNOCHA 01/07/02). The problem for the ongoing humanitarian situation is that the vastly increased numbers of refugees and returnees is placing a huge strain on the humanitarian system and is threatening to side track the ongoing efforts to reintegrate tens of thousands of IDPs and returnees from other countries. There is considerable concern that the arrival of so many refugees and the close proximity of the conflict in neighbouring Liberia could potentially destabilise what is still a very fragile situation within Sierra Leone. The border areas are already considered to be very unstable and local media have reported that Liberian army and rebels have raided across the border in search of food (UNOCHA 02/07/02).
Northern Province
The good security in the country has seen a continued improvement in the general humanitarian situation in the northern province. All districts have been assessed and are now safe for returnees. Thousands have returned to Koindugu and Bombali, particularly from the camps in the Port Loko area, as well as from camps in the west. Work is ongoing to reconstruct basic infrastructure to ensure that returnees have access to basic amenities such as health care facilities and schools. The RNIS does not have any recent nutritional information from the province but the situation is not deemed to be critical at this time.
Western Province
The western province, particularly around the capital of Freetown, has traditionally been the site of many displacement camps. The current good humanitarian outlook has had a very positive effect on the situation on IDPs and returnees, many of who have returned to their places of origin. The beginning of June 2002 saw the start of a programme to resettle in excess of 12,000 IDPs from western camps to the eastern districts of Kono and Tonkolili. A further 3,640 IDPs were resettled in the Mile 91 area and there are more than 20,000 waiting to be resettled in the Kono, Tonkolili and Bombali districts (UNOCHA 31/05/02). The RNIS does not have any recent nutritional information from the area but the population is not deemed to be at high risk and reports indicate that there is an overall improvement in the economic outlook, particularly in the capital Freetown. This is likely to have a beneficial impact on employment opportunities and on food prices and should improve the general food security outlook for many.
Southern and Eastern Provinces
The security situation in the southern and eastern provinces has remained good and the general humanitarian outlook is extremely positive. However, there is considerable concern over the up-surge in violence in Liberia and the large number of refugees that are being driven across the border as a result. The conflict and the refugees represent a considerable threat to the humanitarian situation as their numbers place increasing strain on existing resources. There is also concern that armed elements could enter the country with the refugees and could provoke direct conflict between Sierra Leone and Liberia.
It is estimated that 17,000 Liberians have entered the country in June 2002 alone (UNOCHA 01/07/02) and are being sent to six camps in Gerihun, Jimmi Bagbo, Bandajuma Sowa, Jembe, Taiama and Gondama. The influx of refugees increased enormously with the attacks on the Sinje refugee camp in Liberia, close to the Sierra Leonean border, on 20 June 2002. The attack drove thousands into Sierra Leone and threatens to push many more to seek refuge. The majority of the new arrivals are in extremely poor condition, with agencies reporting that malnutrition amongst children is visible, although the RNIS has not received any direct nutrition reports on this population group. Many are being housed, temporarily, in the Zimmi way station and there is increasing pressure to open new camps to accommodate the increasing number of refugees. UNO-CHA has reported that they have developed a contingency plan for 50,000 refugees in February 2002 and that the current situation in Liberia has prompted the development of contingency plans for up to 125,000 Liberian refugees (UNOCHA 01/07/02). Present activities centre on the development of Gondama and the creation of two new sites at Mano Junction and Tobunda for an additional 39,000 people (UNOCHA 01/07/02).
Kailahun
Kailahun has traditionally been one of the most insecure areas of Sierra Leone but has remained conflict free over the reporting period. The area contains a large local population that has been struggling to absorb around 45,000 former Sierra Leonean refugees who have returned over the preceding months. The largest threat to the stability of the district and the humanitarian situation is the influx of Liberian refugees. The refugee influx is straining the already stretched resources of the area and the need for continued assistance is crucial. The RNIS does not have any recent nutrition reports from this area
Kenema
Traditionally, Kenema has been one of the districts most affected by the conflict in Sierra Leone. However, a marked improvement in the security situation has allowed the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure, the development of agricultural activities and the development of coping strategies. Nutrition surveys in the area over the past couple of years have indicated significant improvements in the situation of IDPs with prevalence of acute malnutrition falling below emergency thresholds (see RNIS 36 and 37). The entire district is estimated to contain approximately 418,000 people, with the regional town of Kenema containing about 25,000 IDPs in three camps (Goal 05/02). Goal conducted a nutrition survey in Kenema district in May 2002 that revealed an estimated prevalence of acute malnutrition of 5.7 % (W/Ht < -2 Z scores and/or oedema) including 0.8 % of severe malnutrition (W/Ht < -3 Z scores and/or oedema). Mortality rates were also estimated and Crude Mortality was 1.15/10,000/day and under-five mortality was 1.96/10,000/day. The estimated malnutrition indicates that the nutritional situation is not critical with prevalences below emergency thresholds and very much in line with recent past surveys. The mortality rates give more cause for concern with the CMR being above the emergency cut off and under-five mortality fractionally below. However, the survey explains that the recall period is 12 months and that it is possible that poor recall, including people who died more than 12 months ago, has artificially elevated the mortality (Goal 05/02). In general, the survey indicates a situation that is well within control and that has remained stable for some time.
Overall
The overall humanitarian outlook in Sierra Leone has continued to improve over the reporting period with more and more people able to return to their places of origin as a result of the cessation of violence within the country. The majority of local populations, displaced and newly returned, appear to have benefited from the security and are deemed to be at reduced risk (category III). The one point of concern is for the large number of Liberian refugees who have been driven to seek refuge in Sierra Leone. Reports indicate that they are arriving in very poor condition and in great need of assistance and should be considered to be at greatly elevated risk (category II).
Recommendations
From the Goal nutrition survey in Kenema distrct, May 2002
· Continue the monitoring of the nutrition situation via regular nutrition surveys.
· Follow up of the high mortality rates should be conducted.
· Routine vaccination coverage should be improved.
