OCHA Situation Report No. 122
Liberia
25 October 2004


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

A. General Situation
Highlights

Subsequent to the review of the RFTF and donor meeting recently held in 
Washington, DC, a Master Plan is in preparation to provide a comprehensive 
strategy and activities for the integration and resettlement of IDPs, 
refugees and returnees before 1 November 2004.

Security in Monrovia and the country as a whole remained unstable and 
tense due to numerous demonstrations and protests. Disarmament related 
demonstrations were recorded but the peace process was not threatened. 
Other protests and civil unrest incidents were recorded in Monrovia. Heavy 
rainfall coupled with bad roads remained the biggest challenges to field 
missions and food distribution particularly in Lofa County where it is 
becoming increasing difficult to provide food at the Disarmament and 
Demobilisation sites.

A County Resettlement Assessment Committee (CRAC) for Montserrado County 
was held at Bentol city in Bensonville. The meeting brought together the 
Superintendent of the County and the Local Government Officials that 
included commissioners, mayors, paramount and town chiefs, UNMIL Military, 
CIVPOL, UNMIL RRR, HCS, UNHCR, and LRRRC. The CRAC was called to assess 
the conditions in the County necessary to support the return of refugees 
and IDPs. The CRAC decided to forward a recommendation to the Security 
Assessment Committee for Resettlement (SACR) to declaring Montserrado 
County safe for return.

Provision of medical assistance to detainees at the Monrovia Central 
prison facility is under discussion with MSF France which supports a 
prison hospital in Abidjan.. In addition to the facilities in Monrovia, a 
mechanism for assistance and referral also needs to be established for the 
other five prison facilities presently operating in the urban areas of the 
country. The issue was discussed with the chair of the INGOs health 
coordination forum, and a strategy was conceived to raise and discuss the 
concerns in the forthcoming ministerial health coordination meeting.

The Weekly Humanitarian Aid Coordination (HAC) meeting focused on the 
recommendations of the Joint UN/NGO Working Group on the payment of 
allowances and incentives to local staff and participants. The Joint 
Working Group has focused on defining these payments and making 
recommendations on policy and practice that are intended to apply to 
activities within Liberia as implemented by INGOs, national NGOs and other 
organizations.

At the Weekly Humanitarian Briefing, UNHCR presented its Community 
Empowerment Projects concept, now at various stages of implementation 
throughout the Country. Some 30 projects are already underway in 6 
Counties.

Media Law Reform Conference

UNDP and UNESCO are partnering to assist the Liberian Ministry of 
Information in organizing the "Media Law Reform National Conference". The 
conference started last week in Monrovia City Hall. During three days 
national and international participants are reviewing all the laws and 
decrees that are regulating the work and action of the media in Liberia.

B. COORDINATION

Humanitarian Coordination Activities

The security situation in Zwedru and Grand Gedeh in general remains calm 
and is gradually improving. International and local NGOs are progressively 
extending their humanitarian assistance to areas where they have not been 
able to operate before DDR.

The road connection between Zwedru, Fish Town and Harper will soon be 
reopened as the Chinese engineers have almost completed construction of 
the Kaweaken Bridge. The ongoing works on the bridge had congested most of 
the traffic needing to use the bridge and a number of activities were 
slowed down or rendered impossible.

So far, 5,357 ex-combatants from Grand Gedeh, Sinoe and Lower Nimba 
(Tapeta) have been disarmed. The successful implementation of the DDR 
process has helped to create a favorable environment for the humanitarian 
community.

  The Relief, Recovery and Rehabilitation (RRR) Sector Officer in Zwedru 
received a visit from the WHO Country Representative and the Deputy 
Minister of Health in support of the County Health Teams in Southeast 
Liberia. WHO and the Ministry of Health distributed medication, office 
equipment and stationery to the County health officials in Zwedru. The 
donations will help to strengthen the capacity of the County Health Team 
as well as the collaboration with the relevant Humanitarian agencies.

The fortnightly Lofa County Humanitarian Coordination Meeting held at the 
HCRRR sub-office in Voinjama addressed efforts to set up sectoral 
coordination structures in the County and the need for a property rights 
committee to be established to deal with any potential land disputes. 
Civil Affairs and LRRRC will facilitate the establishment of such a 
committee. Concerns also remain about the delay in deployment of local 
administration officials to the County.

ERF briefs NGOs

ERF made a presentation to 22 members of local NGOs and CBOs in Kakata on 
funding opportunities under the program with emphasis on prioritizing 
agriculture and WATSAN in the Southeastern Region. ERF informed the 
participants that applications from Bomi, Cape Mount and Montserrado 
Counties for funding in WATSAN is not a priority now, as many NGOs are 
already active in WATSAN in each of the Counties. The meeting was 
organized and facilitated by the area Civil Affairs Officer.

Preparations for Voluntary Repatriation from Guinea

Following a cross border meeting in Nzerekore, Guinea, to discuss 
repatriation preparedness, UNHCR will start the organized voluntary 
repatriation from Guinea on October 29. The facilitated road convoy 
movement will arrive in Bong County through Ganta entry point. This will 
be the first single largest land convoy movement since the voluntary 
repatriation commenced on October 1st. Construction work at the Ganta 
Transit Centre is almost completed. The initial structures include: 
Reception, distribution, 4 dormitories, clinic, and office structure for 
UNHCR and its implementing partners. Meetings have been held with the 
border immigration, customs and security officials as well as with local 
civilian authorities with regard to the expected return of the first batch 
of about 300 returnees from Guinea. Meanwhile, repatriation from other 
countries of asylum still continues. On 17 October, the second group of 
returnees from Ghana arrived by air. This brings the total number of 
returnees from Ghana and Sierra Leone to 272 since the commencement of the 
organized voluntary repatriation operation began this year.

Construction work is progressing on two Transit Centres in Grand Cape 
Mount, Zorzor, Voinjama and Salayea drop-off points. The heavy rains in 
Lofa County have made the roads impassable for monitoring of UNHCR 
activities and field missions.

Return & Reintegration Activities

In Bong County, the renovation of the Zoweinta public school by LUSH, a 
local NGO is ongoing. Materials to start the renovation works for the 
school in Belefanai is being lifted to Gbarnga. The third school in 
Gbonota, Sanoyea district has not yet started due to bad road condition. 
According to LUSH assessment has been done and the renovation will start 
as soon as the dry season starts.

African Concern International, UNHCR's implementing partner for Community 
Empowerment Project (CEP) in Bong County has presented 20 projects 
proposals to UNHCR Field Office in Gbarnga for approval. So far 15 have 
been approved in the areas of education, health, WATSAN and community 
services. Some of the projects are already being implemented.

Danish Refuge Council (DRC), also UNHCR's implementing partner has 
purchased materials for renovation of 12 selected schools in Maryland, 
Grand Kru and River Gee Counties. Renovation work has also started on Cape 
Palmas High School.

During the reporting period, several UNHCR-funded rehabilitation and 
construction projects were also completed in the Lofa County, including 
two school projects and wells. Four additional school projects were 
identified for rehabilitation in three districts in the County

Community based recovery CBR

During the reporting period, UNDP started its first three-day training for 
eight District Development Committees in Bong County. This training is 
part of UNDP's Community Based Recovery and Reintegration Programme (CBR), 
which aims at restoring local governance structures by strengthening the 
District Development Committees (DDCs) in the 9 worst war-affected 
Counties. The Minister for Internal Affairs of the NTGL, the Bong County 
Superintendent, representatives from UNDP, UNHCR's Field Office and UNMIL 
Civil Affairs were present at the opening.

During the three days workshop, all the DDC members, District 
Commissioners, representatives of women and youth groups, chiefs, elders 
and the district-level community-based CBOs are being trained to sensitize 
community residents through participatory approaches to assist in the 
process of project design, evaluation and formulation of strategies in 
collaboration with NGOs and UN Agencies. They will also learn how to 
coordinate all recovery activities at the district level and how to act as 
a liaison between the community and the Office of the County 
Superintendent. A national NGO, the New African Development and Research 
Agency (NARDA), has been contracted to implement the training.

UNDP is increasing its efforts to assist in the rebuilding of communities 
through rehabilitation of social service infrastructures. Activities will 
be carried out in partnership with UN Agencies, UNMIL, the World Bank, and 
will be implemented by local NGOs. UNDP also focuses on income generation 
and micro-finance activities, restoring livelihoods, and community-based 
reconciliation.

Repatriation and Resettlement

An information campaign through various media outlets for the coming 
facilitation of IDPs return commenced during the week. So far, 6 out of 
the 15 Counties have been declared safe for return, including Grand Cape 
Mount, Bomi, Gbapolu, Margibi, River Cess and Bong. IDPs wishing to return 
to Counties declared safe will be supported. Facilitated return of IDPs is 
planned to start on 1 November 2004 with Grand Cape Mount County, and 
other Counties will follow. The exercise will be conducted in phases 
throughout the dry season (November 04 through May 05). It is envisaged 
that some 100,000 IDPs will be repatriated by end of December 2004.

Despite the current food pipeline constraints, WFP will fully support the 
repatriation and resettlement process of IDPs and refugees through 
provision of four months food ration as a resettlement package to those 
whose return to their communities is facilitated by UNHCR and other 
Agencies.

IOM and WFP have started a joint registration exercise of IDP's wishing to 
return to Grand Cape Mount. The registration will continue until October 
30, and is currently taking place in Blamasee, Perry, Seigbeh, and Wilson 
IDP camps in Montserrado County. As of October 18, a total of 2,405 
individuals had registered for transportation / return to Sinje and Bo 
Waterside in Grand Cape Mount County. The IDP joint registration is being 
guided by the WFP feeding logs in the camps. It is being reported that 
IDPs in camps where registration is taking place are cooperative and 
positive about the exercise.

As part of the overall preparation for IDP returns, HCS field officers are 
intensifying monitoring activities in the Counties to assess levels of 
preparedness in the communities to absorb returnees. Also to assess 
potential effects on the local community's access to basic services 
following the closure of IDP camps once the camps' inhabitants have 
returned home, given that most of the city's water and sanitation 
(WATSAN), school and health facilities are situated with the IDP camps. As 
part of a HCRRR comprehensive reintegration strategy that is focused at 
the community level, the main challenge is to ensure that local 
communities, including the local residents along with returnees and 
ex-combatants, have adequate access to basic services.

Most recent assessment visits have been made to Brewersville in 
Montserrado County and several communities in Marghibi County, Suehn Mecca 
District, Bomi County, to assess readiness to accept returning IDPs. While 
many IDPs have expressed a desire to return to villages in the area, the 
current state in some of the communities makes this very difficult. A 
certain level of community infrastructure assistance will be necessary to 
encourage the potentially high rates of IDP return to occur in the areas.

Relief Recovery and Rehabilitation

A working group on sustainable integration of Former Combatants has been 
initiated in Zwedru. It aims to kick-off appropriate advice and ideas that 
could then be transformed into projects as a follow-up to the vocational 
training programmes that are included in the DDRR policy and strategy and 
which will be adapted to provide a sustainable exit-strategy for the 
reintegration of former combatants in Zwedru. This forum will assess the 
potential and realities in the area and formulate comprehensive ideas that 
will be transformed into initiatives for the sustainable rehabilitation 
and reintegration of former combatants in the area.

Logistics

Due to bad road conditions between Zorzor and Voinjama (106 km stretch) 
which is affecting delivery of food to Voinjama, a trans-shipment point 
has been set up in Zorzor where food from Monrovia will be off-loaded. 
Onward transportation of food from Zorzor will be done by air and road 
depending on the road condition. WFP trucks will be used since the 
commercial transporters do not have the type of trucks that can pass 
through the Zorzor -- Vionjama bad spots. During the week, a total of 146 
Mt of assorted food commodities was positioned in Zorzor, of which some 40 
Mt is scheduled to be airlifted during the coming week by UNMIL, (in a 
total of 16 flights), at their expense. WFP has deployed staff in Zorzor 
to provide the required logistical support.

In addition, UNMIL airlifted a total of 5.4 Mt of pulses and sugar to 
Zwedru. The food was delivered to support the on-going DD activities in 
the area. Road conditions to Zwedru are also becoming impassable.

Delivery of food and non-food commodities to the Harper Sub-office in 
Maryland County continues to depend on the UNMIL- chartered vessel. 
Currently, it is not possible to access Harper overland due to the bad 
road conditions.

The main road to Harper will be repaired at the end of the rainy season. 
During the week, two additional WFP trucks were sent to Harper Sub-office 
onboard the UNMIL chartered vessel, plus construction and electrical 
materials needed for the renovation of the sub-office.

C. HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES BY SECTOR

Food Aid

Sensitization of IDPs about further reduction of general rations for the 
October food basket continued during the week. As a result, no major 
problems were encountered in the camps during food distributions, since 
the beneficiaries were informed in advance of the ration changes. The 
sensitization campaign involves all the stakeholders dealing with IDPs in 
the country.

During the week, a total of 932 Mt. was distributed to some 88,512 IDPs 
located in various camps in Montserrado, Margibi and Bong Counties. 
General food distribution was completed to 13 IDP camps including: Perry 
Town, Plumkor, Jah Tondo, Blamasee, Fifteen Gate, Freeman Reserve, 
Newland, Kingsville, Fendel, Berdnard Curve and Catholic Compound in 
Montserrado County as well as Unification Town and Conneh Camp in Margibi 
County. The exercise is on-going in Conneh and Plumkor IDP camps. In 
addition, WFP distributed 49 Mt. of food to some 4,871 spontaneous 
returnees located in Perry town camp

Resource and Pipeline

WFP Country Office will experience a pipeline break of 225 Mt of Veg Oil 
in December 2004 (representing 45 % requirements). A total of 21,000 Mt. 
of various food commodities is scheduled to arrive in the Country from 
October through December. The food requirements for November and December 
will be met by these incoming shipments but at reduced rations if there 
are no delays in the arrival of scheduled vessels.

However, critical resource shortfalls will be experienced on all 
commodities from January through March 2005. Unless additional pledges and 
resources estimated at USD $18 Million is received, WFP will face a 
critical food shortfall of 18,034 Mt of cereals, 2,100 Mt. of Pulses, 
1,534 Mt. of Vegetable Oil, 1,895 Mt. of CSB, 214 Mt of Salt and 33 Mt. of 
Sugar from October through March 2005.

Education

UNICEF signed an agreement on 11 October with Cuttington University 
College (CUC) for the training of 300 in-service primary school teachers. 
The teachers are from central Bong and Nimba Counties. They will be 
trained for ten weeks for the Level 'C' Teacher Training Certificate. The 
training has commenced and the total cost is more than 150,000 US dollars.

A similar training program valued US$ 53,000 was launched at the 
University of Liberia Teachers College on 16 October for 100 primary 
school teachers from Montserrado County. Of the 100 teachers, 53 are 
females. Education Minister Evelyn Kandakai witnessed the launch and made 
a passionate statement about the need for more of such training 
opportunities.

UNICEF distributed 206 'School in a Box' kits worth more than US$ 36,000 
to 63 schools in Grand Cape Mount County on 16 October. Nearly 16,500 
students in the county are expected to benefit from this distribution, 
which is a part UNICEF's continued support to the 'Back to School' program 
launched last year in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Health and Nutrition

Following UNICEF's donation of 118 motorbikes to the Ministry of Health to 
support routine immunization in Liberia and the polio eradication 
campaign, and the official launch of the NIDs in Kakata, Margibi County on 
8 October, UNICEF participated in monitoring and supervisory activities in 
various parts of the county during round one of the NIDS. Social 
mobilization teams focused specifically on the effectiveness of social 
mobilization and the relevance and usefulness of NIDs communication 
materials. The technical teams focused on vaccine management, logistics 
and administration. The closing date for the first round of the campaign 
12 October had to be extended in some parts of the country, where the 
vaccination did not start on time. The various teams are now rounding up 
the exercise, and compiling their reports for submission. There was 
generally a massive turn out of parents with their children for the 
anti-polio vaccination. The campaign targeted more than 819,000 children.

UNICEF is supporting the participation of Sheikh Kafumba Konneh, the 
co-chair of the Inter-Faith Council of Liberia in the "Pan-African Forum 
on Building Trust in Immunization: Partnering with Religious Groups, 
Traditional Leaders and the Media" in Dakar, Senegal from 18-20 October 
2004. The objective of the Forum is to identify opportunities to work more 
effectively with religious organizations and the media to boost 
immunization as an intervention to improve public health. The Forum will 
be structured around group dialogue, problem identification and decision 
making to determine obstacles and barriers to more in-depth and positive 
involvement. The outcome of the Forum will be a "Call to Action", 
enumerating a series of commitments taken by the representatives of 
religious groups, traditional leaders and the media in immunization and 
child survival and development.

HIV/Aids and Nutrition interventions

During the week, WFP finalized agreements with Partners involved in the 
care and treatment of PLWHA for the implementation of WFP food assistance 
to food insecure people living with HIV/AIDS. Criteria for selecting PLWHA 
to benefit from food assistance include: positive test result for HIV or 
confirmation of AIDS, poor and potentially food insecure HIV/AIDS house 
holds; HIV/AIDS patients receiving regular counseling and support; home 
base care and medical treatment for opportunistic infections. For 
beneficiaries on ARV treatment, food assistance will be provided for the 
first 6-8 months. If the drug is interrupted due to lack of supply or 
defaulting, the patient will start the 6-8 months period again.

WFP will also provide food assistance to children singly or doubly 
orphaned due to the death of a parent from HIV/AIDS. WFP is currently 
supporting a total 1,104 PLWHA including 516 Male and 588 Female.

Water and Sanitation

UNICEF and community based partners completed data collection on water and 
sanitation facilities in 12 districts of Bong, Nimba and Sinoe Counties on 
15 October. The enumerators are now collating the data for submission to 
UNICEF. The outcome of the exercise will help guide UNICEF's intervention 
in the twelve districts.

UNICEF provided facilitation and financial support to two workshops in 
River Cess and Nimba Counties on Strategies for the Conduct of Water and 
Environmental Sanitation Assessment. Forty-two persons were trained in the 
two Counties on 14 October 2004. It is hoped that the trainees will help 
UNICEF determine the status of water and environmental sanitation services 
in the Counties.

Protection

The total caseload of demobilized children associated with fighting forces 
(CAFF) and other separated children from December 2003 inclusive is 8,960. 
Of this total, 7,081 are boys and 1,879 girls, including 15 pregnant girls 
and 88 babies. To date, 8,315 children (6,535 boys and 1,780 girls have 
been reunified with their families; 476 boys and 97 girls are awaiting 
reunification.

To date, UNICEF is supporting 12 interim care centers (ICCs) with a 
population of 573. (474 boys and 97 girls)

UNICEF also held a two-day training workshop on monitoring, investigating 
and reporting child rights violations, and how to conduct assessments of 
children in crisis situations on 14-15 October.

Forty-four participants from Child Protection working Group, the National 
Child rights Observatory Group (NACROG) and staff from the Ministries of 
Gender, Defense, Information and Health participated in the workshop held 
in Monrovia. The objective of the workshop was to contribute to more 
proactive advocacy of children in crisis through enhanced documentation 
and reporting.

UNHCR in collaboration with UNMIL conducted training for Magistrates of 
Bong County ahead of the expected repatriation of Liberian refugees and 
IDP return. Some 15 Magistrates and five circuit staff participated in the 
two-day training, which covered international and national legal framework 
for protection of refugees, returnees and IDPs. Issues concerning equal 
rights in customary marriages and Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) were 
also included in the training. In Maryland and Grand Kru Counties, a 
UNHCR-funded returnee monitoring project identified 110 community 
registrars to conduct a three-week census of spontaneous refugee and IDP 
returns to their areas of origin.

Also in Lofa County, UNHCR's main implementing partner for returnee 
monitoring, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), deployed monitors to 
different border entry points in the region. This was done in 
collaboration with the Liberia Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement 
Commission (LRRRC) and the Liberian National Red Cross (LNRC).

Meanwhile, UNHCR met with officials of the Liberian Immigration, Customs 
and other state security at the border with Guinea ahead of the expected 
return of about 300 Liberians from Guinea on 29 October 2004. UNHCR 
registered concern for the lack of clear legislation to allow for IDPs to 
register and vote in areas of displacement. This would also affect 
refugees in asylum countries if they were unable to return to areas of 
origin.

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