Liberia - DHA-45: 18-25 October 1996
Liberia - DHA-45: 18-25 October 1996
LIBERIA HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT - No. 45
Period covered: 18 - 25 October 1996
The information contained in this report was provided by the
Office of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for
Operational Activities in Liberia UN Agencies,
International Organisations and NGOs
HIGHLIGHTS
Humanitarian relief operations in the Grand Cape Mount
region were temporarily disrupted by an incident on 17
October in which fighters of the United Liberation Movement
in Liberia (ULIMO-K) arrested and harassed an inter-agency
team returning from an assessment mission to the Sierra
Leone border town of Bo Waterside. During the incident,
which took place in Tienni, the team of 17 national and
international staff were forced out of their vehicles at
gunpoint, looted of various personal belongings and had
their vehicles seized by the fighters. A two-day workshop
on the protection and reintegration of war-affected
children was held on 23-24 October, sponsored by UNICEF and
the local non-denominational religious organisation, Inter-
Faith Mediation Committee (IFMC). Facilitated by resource
persons from various UN Agencies, the workshop focused on
the status of child soldiers.
POPULATIONS-AT-RISK
Incidents of cholera and malnutrition continue to make the
Grand Cape Mount region the focus of attention for the
Humanitarian Community. While hostilities between the rival
ULIMO factions have abated, the civilian population still
bears the brunt of fighter abuse and harassment. NGO
operations and local staff are also subject to threats,
intimidation and harassment. Relief efforts are thereby
constrained and only emergency interventions in
therapeutic-supplementary feeding and cholera treatment are
proceeding.
Attention is also turning to Greenville, Sinoe County,
where the withdrawal of ECOMOG last April had forced the
suspension of relief activities. The area has been the
scene of heavy fighting between the National Patriotic
Front of Liberia (NPFL) and the rival Liberia Peace Council
(LPC), forcing civilians to flee to the bushes for safety.
ECOMOG plans to re-deploy there shortly. When UNDHA-HACO,
as a member of the Disarmament Committee, accompanied
ECOMOG on a visit to the city recently, it found many
civilians returning to the area following a lull in the
fighting.
SHELTER
Tear Fund has resumed the relocation of IDPs to Plumkor,
which was halted due to the lack of space in the transit
shelters. Three families from the Cathedral School have
been relocated to the Plumkor IDP shelter. The relocation
of IDPs from the St. Mary's school is to begin this week.
A total of 17 family heads have completed the construction
of their units at Plumkor and these families have moved out
of the transit shelter to their respective units. At Coffee
Farm, ten families are ready to daub their units, while
four families have completed their units at Dixville.
WFP and the Concerned Christian Community (CCC), the
implementing NGO for food distribution to the Plumkor
Shelter, are to liaise with Tear Fund in delivering food to
relocated IDPs who have completed their family units at
Plumkor.
The shelter sub-committee has requested the Liberia
Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC),
WFP and CCC to put into place measures for distributing
food to IDPs who received ration cards but have not
completed the construction of their units.
Work on the construction of single family units by some
relocated IDPs is slow. The IDPs are observed not to be
working full time on their structures due to their constant
absence from the transit shelter. At the end of the two-
week time period, IDPs who fail to complete their units
will be moved out of the transit shelters. LRRRC is to
exert pressure and take action to ensure that IDPs at the
various transit shelters work according to the agreed upon
schedule.
Progress has been made in identifying partially constructed
and abandoned units in the Siegbeh Displaced Shelter. A
standard form for assigning the units is to be used. The
units are to be completed by family heads. The United
Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) requested Tear
Fund to review existing relocation projects with the aim of
making provisions for the extension to Siegbeh.
LRRRC is to initiate discussions with UNHCR on the status
of refugees in Pasamol in view of the problem of scarcity
of materials for the construction or rehabilitation of
shelters for refugees in the area. UNHCR has requested the
refugees to move to Banjor where requisite services will be
provided.
Reports from Harbel and the Smell-No-Taste IDP shelter
regarding the scarcity of food and the reported,
subsequently related deaths, are to be verified by an
inter-agency assessment mission to include medical NGOs and
WFP.
Food requests from a group of persons claiming to be IDPs
at various localities, including the Barclay Training
Centre in Monrovia, are to be channeled through to WFP. WFP
will consider target feeding of the most vulnerable
following the reverification of their nutritional status by
medical NGOs. Persons confirmed as displaced and vulnerable
will be encouraged to relocate to recognized shelters where
food and other services are currently directed.
FOOD AND LOGISTICS
Grand Cape Mount County
WFP provided an additional 3 MTs of high protein biscuits
to Concern`s feeding centre in Gbah for 500 beneficiaries,
and 5 MTs of CSB and biscuits to Oxfam's feeding centre
catering to 1,000 beneficiaries in Vonzula. WFP is
carefully reviewing its operations in Grand Cape Mount
County because of the ongoing concerns about food security.
Bomi County
The food situation in Tubmanburg is to be reviewed by WFP
and its implementing partners, to ensure that food
deliveries do not jeopardize the security of recipients.
Montserrado County
Between 15 - 22 October, WFP lifted and distributed through
its implementing partners a total of 890 MTs of food for 16
displaced camps in and around Monrovia, benefiting 132,384
IDPs.
WFP also lifted, through the Adventist Development and
Relief Agency (ADRA), 230 MTs of food for 90 schools with a
total of 26,796 beneficiaries. WFP, UNICEF and ADRA are
also working together on an Integrated Emergency School
Project.
Bong County
A WFP convoy with 245 MTs of food comprising 226 MTs of
bulgur wheat, and 19 MTs of vegetable oil, was delivered to
the warehouse at Phebe near Gbarnga, without any security
problems. Presently, 109 MTs of beans is stored at the
warehouse. Food distribution will commence on 25 October
and is expected to last for four days.
Margibi County
Between 01 - 23 October, WFP lifted and distributed through
Save the Children Fund (SCF-UK)a total of 596 MTs out of 1,
523 MTs requested for Upper Margibi and Temor for 175,000
beneficiaries. The bulgur wheat and oil requested by SCF-
UK, is to last for 45 days, while pulses in the food basket
are for 90 days. The request took into consideration the
nutritional situation, the limited inputs of planting
tools, the caloric value of the ration, as well as the
timing of the next harvest between November and December.
SCF-UK wants to be able to complete at least one
distribution circle in the region to bridge the lean period
before the harvest.
The Government of Liberia plans to rehabilitate the
Robertsfield International Airport (RIA)located some 40
miles east of Monrovia. An assessment mission made up of
WFP, the European Union (EU), along with local groups and
representatives of the RIA management, visited the area on
23 October. The EU is considering co-financing the project
and will be meeting with WFP to harmonize their views on
project obligations. An implementation time table will be
prepared in collaboration with the national NGO, Special
Emergency Life Food (SELF)and the RIA authorities.
SELF has requested WFP assistance to address food needs
in the Harbel corridor in Lower Margibi County. WFP
therefore plans to organise an inter-agency mission to
the area to assess the food, security, health, water and
sanitation situation in the area.
The weekly market prices of basic commodities as of 21
October, are as follows:
Commodity Price-Bag Commodity
Price-Gal
Indian Long Grain Rice USD 21.25 Gasoline USD 1.13
American Long Grain Rice USD 24.38 Fuel Oil
USD 1.06
Bulgur Wheat USD 13.75 Engine Oil USD 3.
75
Vegetable Oil USD 4.69 Kerosene USD 1.88
The current exchange rate on the parallel market is LDD
80.00 to USD 1.00.
The WFP stock balances as of 22 October were:
Assorted Items 6,635 MTs
Bulgur Wheat 2,740 MTs
Pulses 1,497 MTs
Vegetable Oil 252 MTs
Canned Fish 25 MTs
BP5 14 MTs
HEB 38 MTs
CSB 2,328 MTs
CP Food 9 Mts
In addition to stocks in the warehouse, WFP has 503 MTs
of edible fat stored in containers.
A new consignment of food is expected on 25 October
aboard the -Vineland Saga- which is carrying 1,242 MTs of
bulgur wheat.
HEALTH
Grand Cape Mount County
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH) has
condemned the harassment of relief workers by combatants
in Tienni, Grand Cape Mount County. Reacting to the
recent arrest and detention of relief workers at Tienni
by ULIMO-K fighters, Health and Social Welfare Minister,
Dr. Vamba M. Kanneh, said such action deepens the
suffering of the people and affects the health care
delivery system of Liberia.
A cholera outbreak has been confirmed in Vonzula, along
the Kle-Bo Waterside Highway. The outbreak started on 13
October and as of 22 October, 53 cases and 14 deaths had
been recorded, with a case fatality rate of 32 percent.
Factors responsible for the high case fatality rate
include a lack of trained health workers in the affected
area, insecurity, late arrival of patients and improper
case management. Most of the deaths occurred when the
flow of drugs and medical supplies was interrupted by
security concerns resulting from the detention of relief
personnel in Tienni. In response to the emergency, the
Emergency Humanitarian Action (EHA) Unit of WHO visited
Vonzula on 21 October and donated 48 litres of IV Fluids
and 1000 Sachets of Oral Rehydration Salts. WHO also
delivered six lanterns on behalf of Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF). Subsequently, training in case
management was conducted on 23 October, involving two
mid-level health workers and 13 auxiliaries. Community
health workers have been deployed in accessible
communities to conduct health education which will assist
in the early reporting of cases at treatment centres.
Montserrado County
The National Drug Service (NDS) has reported that its
stock of drugs, especially antibiotics, has run very low.
The JFK Medical Centre has meanwhile reported that its
drug supply has run out because of the inability of NDS
to supply the institution.
During the week, the UNICEF mobile vaccination team
immunized 1,846 children and 1,129 women around Monrovia
shelters with the following doses administered:
DPT (diphtheria pertussis tetanus) 1,846
OPV (oral polio vaccine)1,706
Measles 1,082
TT (tetanus typhoid) 1,129
BCG (tuberculosis) 539
UNICEF has concluded agreements with the MoH, NDS, the
Medical Emergency Relief Cooperative International
(MERCI) and World Vision International (WVI) for the
implementation of emergency health services within
Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount
Counties.
UNICEF provided technical assistance for diarrhea
prevention and management for high risk communities in
Monrovia and Buchanan and also supported the training of
150 traditional birth attendants in the suburb of
Monrovia. The training was facilitated by the Family
Health Division of the MoH.
Bong County
SCF-UK has reported an outbreak of measles in Gbarnga,
Bong County. In response to this report, an arrangement
has been made by UNICEF for the supply of antigens to
SCF-UK to conduct vaccinations in Gbarnga and its
environs.
Bomi County
UNICEF provided vaccines and Expanded Programme of
Immunization (EPI) supplies to Concern World Wide for the
immunization of 200 malnourished children in their
therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes in Gbah,
Bomi County.
UNICEF attended a meeting to discuss school feeding
programmes in order to enhance the retention of students
in schools in accessible areas. One of the issues
discussed was the removal of bottlenecks in the prompt
delivery of food to registered schools. Indications are
that most schools lack kitchen utensils, stationary and
urgent structural repairs. It was reported that ADRA had
received a contribution of USD 6,000 to purchase utensils
which have an estimated cost of USD 12,000. Appropriate
organisations will assist in providing the remaining
funds while others will assist with the provision of
instructional materials, repairs and training.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS-ADVOCACY
Following the brief detention and harassment of members
of an inter-agency humanitarian assessment team by ULIMO-
K fighters at Tienni, Grand Cape Mount County, UNDHA-HACO
immediately made contact with relevant agencies and
officials, including the UNOMIL SRSG, ECOMOG and the
ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J high command for their immediate
intervention. Two press releases were prepared, the first
condemning the incident as a violation of the Abuja
Accord signed by the Liberian factions, and the second
declaring the resolve of the Humanitarian Community not
to be deterred from its mission of delivering relief to
the needy. The two releases were however withheld,
following the timely action, confirmed in writing, taken
by the ULIMO-K high command to secure the release of the
team, to punish the perpetrators of the act, to promise
to return looted items and to apologize for the action.
UNDHA-HACO conducted an interview with the Voice of
America (VOA) on the current humanitarian situation in
Liberia relative to the delivery of relief assistance to
needy populations in areas that are currently accessible.
An interview was also conducted by UNDHA-HACO with a Time
magazine correspondent conducting research for an article
on the situation in Liberia.
In observance of UN Day on 24 October, UNDHA-HACO
produced and circulated a special edition of the Liberia
Humanitarian Community Newsletter featuring articles on
the objectives, purposes and principles of the UN,
highlights from the UN Charter and an article on World
Food Day with reference to WFP. Also featured was an
article on International Disarmament Week, tying in how
disarmament is connected with demobilisation activities.
In concert with UNDP, UNDHA-HACO also produced and
circulated a press release highlighting the role of UN
throughout the world in general and in Liberia in
particular. The release was distributed along with copies
of the UN Day Speech of the UN Secretary-General, both of
which received national radio and newspaper coverage.
Production and broadcast of the Liberian Humanitarian
Community Radio Report continued on national radio
station ELBC. This week's programmes focussed on the
activities of the UN globally, and in Liberia
specifically, in order to commemorate UN Day. The Radio
Report also provided information updating demobilisation
activities.
WATER AND SANITATION
A massive health-hygiene education session on food
control and environmental sanitation was carried out at
the MVTC IDP shelter on 21 October. A total of 144
persons participated, including 56 children, 43 women, 31
men and 14 elders.
In Jones Town, three self-help latrines have been
constructed by sanitation workers and IDP residents. The
activities are being carried out under the supervision of
the local health NGO, Community Organisation and Human
Development Agency (COHDA), with support from UNICEF.
SCF-UK, in collaboration with the Monrovia City
Corporation (MCC), and with support from UNOPS and
UNICEF, collected 980 cubic yards of garbage utilising
two skip trucks, while 200 cubic yards of garbage was
collected under the mass clearing operations in Monrovia.
Two trucks were also provided for the removal of burnt
vehicles.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in
collaboration with the Liberia National Red Cross (LNRC),
chlorinated 312 wells, of which 44 were equipped with
hand pumps. The areas covered included Ricks Institute,
Memeh Town, Kpeikor, Kamara Town, Zuannah Town, Dixville
VOA-1 and Plumkor shelters.
A total of 167 wells in the Sinkor, Old Road and
Paynesville communities have been chlorinated under a
joint programme of the EU and the Liberia Water and Sewer
Corporation. Through a local contractor, five hand pumps
were repaired and the condition of an additional 32 hand
pumps which require repairs was assessed.
Seventy open wells and four wells equipped with hand
pumps have been chlorinated in Tubmanburg by the local
NGO, Helping Our People Exist (HOPE), with support from
UNICEF.
DEMOBILISATION
The Chairman and two other members of the Transitional
Legislative Assembly's (TLA's)Standing Committee on
Health and Social Welfare, Disarmament and
Demobilisation, met with the Director of the SRSG's
Office, the Acting Chief Military Observer and UNDHA-HACO
on 21 October. The Committee members were seeking
information on the progress of the disarmament and
demobilisation programme. During the meeting, UNOMIL
briefed them on the political and military aspects of the
Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR)
programme, while UNDHA-HACO enlightened them about the
progress made in revising the DDR programme. The TLA
members pledged the support of their Committee in
promoting the DDR programme.
CHILDREN AND EDUCATION
The Inter-Faith Mediation Committee-UNICEF workshop on
the Protection and Reintegration of Liberia's War
Affected Children (WAC) was held on 23 - 24 October. The
programme was attended by an array of resource persons as
well as foreign and local dignitaries, including the
Chairperson of the Council of State. The Keynote Speaker
was the former President of the Interim Government of
National Unity (IGNU), Dr. Amos C. Sawyer, who spoke on
developing a society with the child as a focus,
empowering women to be able to meet the needs of the
families and putting more emphasis on the education of
the girl child. The former Chairman of the Liberian
National Transitional Government, Prof. David K.
Kpormakpo, also participated in the discussion on -
Ensuring the Protection of Child in War - What should be
done in Liberia.- At the end of the workshop a manifesto
was drawn up that will form the basis of recommendations
that are to be presented to the Chairperson of the
Council of State of the Republic of Liberia.
Several projects of the implementing partners of UNICEF
were toured by the visiting UNICEF Auditor to verify
information contained in their implementation records.
The Ministry of Education and the Church Related
Educational Development Organisation (CREDO) are two of
the implementors who have undertaken the conduct of in-
service teacher training, curriculum revision, sales and
distribution of educational supplies.
Agreements have been finalized for the various War
Affected Youth Support (WAYS) Projects, along with the
CREDO project for the supply of educational materials to
schools. Disbursement of funds is already in progress.
SECURITY
Montserrado County
The security situation in Monrovia nearly took a turn for
the worse following the accidental killing of a Krahn
militia man of the ULIMO- J faction by an ECOMOG soldier.
People went running helter-skelter as other ULIMO-J
fighters took to the streets with cutlasses, bottles and
other objects in a protest to avenge the killing. The
situation was quickly brought under control by ECOMOG and
through the timely intervention of the ULIMO-J leader,
General Roosevelt Johnson.
While ECOMOG has diligently enforced measures to restore
the city to its -safe haven- status, Monrovia is still
dogged by incidents of violent crime. In one such
incident, two young market women trying to buy food
items, were robbed and killed by three youths said to be
former combatants in a residential quarter near the Free
Port. The bodies were mutilated, thereby suggesting the
possibility of ritual sacrifice as a motive for the
killing.
Grand Cape Mount County
On 17 October, a 17-person UN-NGO team comprising
personnel from WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR CARE, ACF, Concern, WVI
and LIURD, returning from an assessment mission to Bo
Waterside, was arrested by ULIMO-K fighters in Tienni.
The fighters forced the civilians out of their vehicles
at gun point while screaming obscenities at them. They
looted various personal belongings from the team members,
seized their vehicles and began driving them recklessly,
thereby causing damage to the gears and clutches of two
of the vehicles. The UN and NGO personnel were accused of
passing information to the rival ULIMO-J faction, thereby
helping ULIMO-J to launch attacks that morning and the
previous night. The local ULIMO-K commander refused to
allow the team to leave and decided to refer the matter
to his higher commander in Dambala. The team was
subsequently taken to Dambala under fighter escort.
On arrival in Dambala, the ULIMO-K general there was
surprised over the action of the battalion commander and
ordered him stripped, bound and whipped, while
apologizing to the humanitarian personnel. Upon hearing
about the incident in Monrovia, UNDHA-HACO contacted the
ULIMO-K high command which immediately began to trace the
missing team. Contact was eventually made with the ULIMO-
K high command at Dambala who confirmed the presence of
the team and was then directed to ensure the safety of
the personnel and their belongings. Realizing the
difficulty of travelling at night, especially with
damaged vehicles, the team was advised to stay overnight
in Dambala. The following morning, the team was escorted
back to Tienni by a senior ULIMO-K commander who was able
to retrieve and return some of the items looted from them
by their fighters. ULIMO-K high command has since issued
a formal apology for the incident and has promised to
make full restitution for the losses sustained by the
personnel and organisations. ULIMO-K has also begun an
investigation into the matter and is providing periodic
updates on their progress.
On 18 October, six carpenters and several manual laborers
were removed from their work at the Oxfam cholera clinic
in Vonzula, Grand Cape Mount County and taken by ULIMO-J
fighters to do forced labor.
WVI has reported that its local staff at the feeding
centre in Madina were harassed by ULIMO-J fighters
between 20-22 October. International staff met with the
commanders and suggested the use of identification cards
to ensure that their workers are spared from attempts by
ULIMO-J fighters to draft forced labor. However, WVI
remains concerned with having to negotiate preferential
protection for its staff while the civilian population
remains subject to victimization.
On 23 October, Kle, a small village along Moffi Creek
north-west of Sinje, was attacked by ULIMO-K from the
north. Three persons were confirmed killed, three others
wounded. Up to twenty persons are reported to have been
abducted and four houses destroyed by rocket propelled
grenades. The three wounded individuals included a 70
year old woman who sustained deep wounds from a cutlass
on her neck, head, back and hand. Also injured in the
attack was an elderly man whose hand the fighters had
tried to cut off and a nine year old girl, from whose arm
a piece of metal resembling grenade shrapnel, was
extracted.
On 23 October, an Oxfam community outreach worker in
Vonzula was taken by ULIMO-J fighters who ordered him to
go collect cassava for them. When he refused and produced
his NGO employee identification badge, a fighter fired at
his feet. He was then left alone.
On 24 October, an Oxfam construction worker was beaten by
ULIMO-J fighters in Vonzula for refusing to carry cassava
for them.
On 24 October, ECOMOG and UNOMIL flew into Robertsport
without incident. At the request of UNDHA-HACO, ECOMOG
pilots flew a road reconnaissance mission to observe the
status of bridges and the surface of the road from
Robertsport to Madina. Their report that the road and
bridges were intact dispelled long-running rumours to the
contrary.
Bomi County
At midnight on 21 October, three armed fighters, one of
whom was known to be a member of the Lofa Defence Force,
entered the MSF compound in Tubmanburg, harassed the
watchman, and demanded the keys to the warehouse. The
fighters left after finding no keys. At 0045h, four armed
fighters entered another MSF compound, shouted at the
watchman, and threatened to loot the buildings. One of
the fighters was later confirmed to have been involved in
the earlier incident. The fighters left after an hour of
haggling, threatening to come back and make good on their
threats. Later that morning the same fighter arrested an
MSF local staff member brought from Monrovia, accusing
him of being an NPFL spy. After intervention by UN field
security officers, the staff member was released but
without his personal belongings. Those fighters holding
the staff member subsequently approached an MSF
international staff member to request information on
local staff members.
On 24 October, a ULIMO-J fighter approached an ACF
feeding centre, fired twice in the air and ran away.
Bong County
Councilman Charles Taylor held a special week-long UN Day
observance in Gbarnga. The event was panned by the local
media for mismanagement and diversion of funds. In the
interests of promoting national unity in Liberia, no UN
invitees attended the ceremonies on the grounds that the
ceremonies were not being sponsored by the entire Council
of State nor being overseen by the Chairperson of the
Council of State.
======================================
Mr. Tesema Negash
UN Humanitarian Coordinator - Monrovia
Tel.: (231) 226 041-042
Fax: (874) 175 46 27 (sat.)
Complex Emergencies Division (CED)-New York
Mr. Peter Due
Tel.: (1 212) 963.1731
Fax: (1 212) 963.3630
Inter-Agency Support Branch (IASB)- Geneva
Ms. Deborah Saidy-Mr. Chris Kaye
Tel.: (41 22) 788.6384-788.6385
Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
Press to contact (DHA-Geneva)
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2856
Fax: (41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
E-Mail: dhagva at dha.unicc.org