OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Liberia
12 June 2003


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Political and Military situation

Monrovia is calm today following four days of sporadic gun and rocket
explosions in the western and eastern city suburbs. It is not clear what
led to the cessation of hostilities but it coincided with the visit to
Liberia of Ghanaian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo and ECOWAS chairman, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who were there
to broker a truce between government forces and LURD rebels. Reports
indicate that the rebels are currently operating in Duala and parts of
Logan Town, about three kilometers northwest of Monrovia. In Monrovia
itself, very few Liberian businesses opened their doors today to allow
people to buy their provisions.

UNHCR reports that some 15,000 Sierra Leone refugees had been living in
camps around the Liberian capital prior to the latest fighting. Refugees
who managed to cross the front line on the outskirts of Monrovia are
believed to be among the tens of thousands of displaced who converged on
the capital in search of safety as fighting raged on Friday and part of
Saturday. A number of refugees are reportedly seeking protection in front
of the UNHCR office in the Mamba Point area.

The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today in a
letter to the President of the Security Council that he has appointed an
expert panel to undertake a five-month follow-up assessment mission to
Liberia and neighbouring countries to investigate sanctions levied against
Monrovia.

The Security Council today issued a statement to the press in which it
appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance
to alleviate the growing suffering of the Liberian people.

The United States added its voice to international appeals yesterday,
calling on Liberian soldiers and rebels to spare civilian lives and
property and warning that human rights abuses and war crimes would be
punished.

Security

At a humanitarian coordination meeting held today at the OCHA offices in
Monrovia, a number of agencies reported the commandeering of their
belongings, including vehicles, by armed men during the recent hostilities
in Monrovia.

Humanitarian consequences and response

Measles and diarrhea cases are being reported in newly created IDP camps
in the city. Health agencies are concerned that the situation could result
in epidemics if the war continues and these areas become inaccessible.
NGOs have reported that six cases of measles have been discovered at the
IDP encampment site in Clara Town, and WVI (World Vision International)
reported some cases of diarrhea and measles at the S.K.D Stadium in
Paynesville. Meanwhile, MSF has reported that there are some 60 wounded
persons at the Redemption Hospital, but that the facility was inaccessible
for the time being. The agency said the hospital was running out of fuel
and water.

Very few Liberian businesses opened their doors today to allow residents
and IDPs to purchase some provisions, which are being sold at very high
prices. A cup of rice (5 grams) is being sold for LD 35.00 (US$0.50) while
a 50 kg bag of rice is currently at between US$30.00 to $40.00, against
the pre-war price of US $20.00. A gallon of gasoline is sold for LD350.00
(about US $5.00 equivalent). Taxi fares are as high as LD50.00 for Old
Road (trips across town) against the prewar fare of LD15.00. Hundreds of
people queued in front of Western Union Offices today to collect money
sent to them by relatives and friends abroad.

Coordination

An inter-agency team, comprising UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs will
be fielded tomorrow to carry out a rapid assessment of IDP settlements in
Monrovia, created recently as a result of the ongoing war. The assessment
team has been broken down into sectors and will tour a number of
facilities to be identified by the LRRRC before day's end. Amongst areas
expected to be visited are the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sport complex in
Paynesville, the Newport Street Junior High School and the GW Gibson
Junior High School, all in Monrovia. A debriefing will follow the
following day to compare notes and consolidate the reports. About 13
representatives of agencies are expected to participate in the exercise.
The local UN security officer has been requested to participate in the
exercise, and the LRRRC will also participate.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Muktar Ali Farah, Head of Office, OCHA Liberia (currently in Abidjan):
tel: (OCHA Abidjan) +225-2240-5174 / cell: +225-07-443392 /
farah.muktar@undp.org / muktarfarah@yahoo.com


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International                  web: www.cidi.org
    Disaster Information             listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
comments/suggestions/requests to incident@cidi.org