OCHA Situation Report No. 7
Liberia
15 June 2003


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

1. Military/Political Developments

Current -- Monrovia city remained calm over the weekend following the
withdrawal of LURD forces to Po River some 20 km west of Monrovia. Some
normalcy started returning to Duala and other suburbs of Monrovia today as
the general market and several retail businesses reopened for the first
time since the fighting started in the area. Taxis began plying the roads
to Duala market. Few of the provision stores in the city centre opened on
Saturday 14 June, while the supermarkets remained closed. Public transport
resumed in the city. However, fares were reported to have doubled (30
Liberian Dollar as compared to 15 Liberian dollars before the fighting) as
fuel prices continue to rise.

On Friday 13 June, the President announced the reappointment of Zhie Gblah
as the vice president of Liberia. This reappointment could be seen as
winning the loyalty of Gblah's Mano tribe in Nimba county in northeastern
Liberia. Many commanders of pro-Taylor military units are Manos and were
apparently unhappy with Gblah's sacking and confinement under house
arrest. There were unconfirmed reports that some local militiamen in Nimba
county joined the LURD rebels after he was dismissed.

The ongoing Liberian peace talks at Akosombo, Ghana stalled over the
weekend when LURD demanded that President Taylor resign within 10 days
after the signing of Cease fire Agreement. They also demanded that a US or
Western-led intervention force be deployed to monitor the cease fire
instead of West African peace keeping force. The rebels are also demanding
that a broad based Government of National Coalition be put in place after
10 days and that it should exclude those indicted by UN led war crimes
tribunal in Sierra Leone. The Government of Liberia has refused to all
these demands and asserts that removing Taylor through unconstitutional
means would lead to chaos in the country.

Projected -- Liberia's capital remained tense today follow the
announcement of the rebels demands at the peace talks in Ghana. Residents
are fearing that fighting may resume if the peace talks does not move
forward. People are skeptical if the Government would accept the rebel
demands.

II. Security Situation

Local population -- The head of civil society movement in Liberia Mr.
Philip Joe issued a statement yesterday calling on all parties to the
conflict to cease hostilities and allow civilians to reconstruct their
lives. Residents of Duala, New Kru town and other suburbs on Bushrod
Island were reported returning to their homes which were looted. The
government requested public civil servants to resume their normal duties
by Monday 16 June. IDPs and Refugees sheltered in various parts of the
city are fearing to return to their former camps in Brewerville until a
cease fire agreement is signed in Accra by the warring parties.

III. Humanitarian situation

IDPs/Refugees

OCHA Sierra Leone reported that on Friday 13 June, 61 Liberian refugees
crossed the border at Bo-waterside into Sierra Leone. A LURD
representative met at the Jendema border by an inter-agency team
monitoring the border region reported that between 1,500 to 3,000
civilians (Liberians and Sierra Leone refugees) were heading towards the
border from Grand Cape mount county. 500 more Liberians were reported to
have crossed into Sierra Leone on 12 June from Lofa county.

600 Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) soldiers and about 400 of their family
members under the leadership of General Davidson were reportedly
negotiating their passage across the border into Sierra Leone from Lofa
county on Saturday 14 June. General Davidson and his men were said to be
planning to surrender to the Sierra Leone armed forces. Another AFL
battalion of 700 men, also accompanied by family members, was preparing to
follow Davidson's men across the border, according to the OCHA report.

The Government of Liberia has directed that all school activities resume
on Monday, 16 June including students in schools occupied by IDPs. The
Government has not come up with alternative accommodation for the IDPs
currently in schools.

Food security

WFP began distributing food rations to displaced persons on 13 June,
targeting an initial caseload of 18,000 including some 600 refugees in
eight centres in Monrovia city. According to WFP Officer in charge, the
food will last for a period of 15 days. Beneficiaries of the distribution
include those in City stadium, Newport street High School, G.W Gibson High
School, E.J. Goodridge and the Marvi Sunni Schools.

Action Conte de la Feme (ACF) has opened a therapeutic feeding centre at
9th Street Sinkor to cater for malnourished children in the new displaced
centres around the city and those in the former VOA camp feeding centre.

Water and Sanitation

Safe drinking water and sanitation facilities continue to remain critical
in all the IDP shelters in the city including the National Stadium. Aid
agencies are providing water by tankers to meet the demand. IDPs in Clara
town area reported that water was being sold to them by water hawkers at
10 Liberian Dollar per 5 gallons.

Health

The Ministry of Health has offered to provide fuel to MERCI and Police
ambulances to facilitate transportation of emergency cases to the
hospital. The Ministry is also scheduled to hold talks with Catholic
hospital and the SDA Cooper clinic to assist the DP referral cases.
Meanwhile it has suspended the cost recovery schemes in all community
clinics to enable IDPs to get free treatment.

Protection

There are reports of widespread allegation of rapes, summary executions
and other abuses perpetrated by armed men against IDPs who remained
Brewersville camps such as Blamese, VOA and Seighbeh. IDPs are reported
terrified by the presence of heavily armed soldiers in the camps after the
withdrawal of the LURD forces from the area. Some of the IDP have started
leaving the camps for fear of reprisals from the Government forces. The
camps have been inaccessible since LURD rebels overran the area and have
been shelling the city from there. Government forces have now moved its
forces into areas close to the camps since the LURD disengaged last
Monday.

IV. Issues to be addressed

1. There is need to revise the existing contingency plan for Liberia in
the event that the peace talks fail and fighting resumes. An inter-agency
technical team meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18 June in Abidjan which
will brain storm on various scenarios. Meanwhile humanitarian agencies in
the region are requested to fill in the form circulated to them during the
week indicating the relief stocks they have in the region that can quickly
be deployed to Liberia.

2. Humanitarian agencies in Monrovia are meeting tomorrow, Monday 16 June
at OCHA office to review the relief stocks in the country and identify the
immediate gaps.

3. A humanitarian strategy and action plan will also be developed by the
Country Team in exile at Abidjan as soon as possible.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Muktar Ali Farah, Head of
OCHA Liberia (currently in Abidjan) +225-22405174/75 cell: +225-07-443392
/ e-mail: 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