Sierra Leone - DHA: 29.Oct-18.Nov.97
Sierra Leone - DHA: 29.Oct-18.Nov.97
SIERRA LEONE
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT
Period covered: 29 October - 18 November 1997
This report has been prepared by the office of the United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for Sierra Leone in Conakry, Guinea
SECURITY
1. Since the signing of the Conakry Accord on 23 October the cease-fire
between the AFRC and ECOMOG has been respected without serious
violation. However, clashes between the AFRC and the kamajors have
continued in Tongo Field and Kono, diamond-rich areas in the East of
Sierra Leone. Insecurity in Bo, Pujahun and Bonthe districts has also
increased due to clashes between the military and the kamajors. It seems
that there is a clear difference between newly-recruited kamajors, who
have access to automatic weapons and apparently operate outside the
authority of chiefdom representatives, and the traditional kamajors who
are carefully screened and respect traditional chiefdom structures. Aid
Agencies operating in the Southern province are being increasingly
harassed by some groups of kamajors and are currently being prevented
from accessing areas to the South of Bandejuma on the Bo-Pujehun
highway. This is a source of concern as there are known pockets of
malnutrition in parts of Bonthe and Pujehun districts.
2. Following a UN security mission to Kambia and Port Loko districts
from 3-5 November 1997, the security rating imposed on UN international
staff (i.e., non-Sierra Leonean staff) has been downgraded from Phase
Five to Phase Three for a 20-km radius around Kambia town, including the
town of Mange. The downgrading of the security phase allows UN
international staff to remain in Kambia on extended missions, which will
facilitate the monitoring of cross-border relief operations. Further
security missions are anticipated in other parts of Sierra Leone.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
3. On 11 November, the ECOMOG Force Commander, General Malu, met an AFRC
delegation led by Army Chief of Staff, Colonel Williams, at Kossoh town
approximately 12 miles from Freetown. According to General Malu,
agreement was reached on the following points: ECOMOG troops would be
deployed in Freetown and Lungi; checkpoints erected in Freetown by the
AFRC would be removed; joint ECOMOG/AFRC forces would guard important
communications installations; ECOMOG would ensure that AFRC troops in
Freetown were not carrying weapons; ECOMOG and the AFRC would cooperate
so that the provision of humanitarian assistance could be carried out in
a secure environment; ECOMOG troops would be deployed at land and sea
entry points to Sierra Leone to enforce the sanctions; ECOMOG forces
would provide a buffer between the AFRC and the kamajors, prisoners of
conflict would be released immediately; hostile propaganda and
misinformation would no longer be broadcast on the 99.9 and 98.1 FM
radio stations.
4. The main point of disagreement revolved around the provision of the
Conakry Accord relating to the disarmament of combatants under the
supervision of ECOMOG. While ECOMOG maintains that "combatant" refers to
the military, the RUF and the kamajors, the AFRC have repeatedly argued
that the Sierra Leone army should not be disarmed and that it should
continue to perform its "constitutional role." RUF representatives have
indicated that they would not disarm until Foday Sankoh was released.
Another meeting between General Malu and the AFRC is scheduled to take
place in the near future. The meeting between the ECOWAS Committee of Five
and the AFRC, originally scheduled for 20 November, has been postponed.
HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENTS
5. From 10-13 November, a two-member ECOWAS legal team visited Conakry
in order to evaluate the level of preparedness for cross-border
humanitarian operations and to facilitate the start of humanitarian
cross border operations as described in the ECOWAS Peace Plan for Sierra
Leone. During the course of their mission the ECOWAS team consulted a
wide cross-section of the international community including the Guinean
Inter-Ministerial Committee, the democratically-elected Government of
Sierra Leone (including President Kabbah), the UN Special Envoy, the UN
Humanitarian Coordinator, UN Agencies, donors and NGOs.
6. The ECOWAS team fulfilled the objectives of their missions as
follows:
a) creation of a Task Force to review requests for humanitarian
exemptions in accordance with the provisions of the ECOWAS embargo. The
Task Force includes representatives from the Guinean Government, the
Government of Sierra Leone, United Nations and ECOWAS;
b) designation of the Department of Legal Affairs of the Guinean
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the focal point within the Guinean
Government for correspondence relating to cross-border relief
operations;
c) recommendation that ECOWAS sends a representative to Conakry on a
permanent basis to act as a link between the Task Force and ECOWAS;
d) finalisation of exemption request mechanisms in essence, the Task
Force will review and approve exemption requests after they have been
screened by the Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator according to
specific and transparent criteria.
7. At the first meeting of the ECOWAS Sanctions Exemptions Task Force on
14 November, the exemptions procedures as outlined in UN-DHA's
Recommendations to ECOWAS on Cross-Border Relief Operations into Sierra
Leone were endorsed by the Task Force.
The exemptions criteria are divided into four main areas and are
summarised as follows:
a) Categories of Exempted Items: Items to be delivered must fall within
the seven categories of a priori exempted items included in Annex two of
the UN-DHA recommendations, namely: Food Aid, Health, Shelter and
Survival, Water and Sanitation, Personal and Community Hygiene, Food
Production and UN and NGO Operational Support. Requests to except items
relating to Shelter and Survival, Water and Sanitation, Personal and
Community Hygiene and Food Production must be accompanied by some needs
assessment and reviewed on a case by case basis by ECOWAS. In the case
of petroleum products, the UN Sanctions Committee must also review and
endorse the request.
b) Information to be submitted to Guinean Government and ECOMOG: The
following information must be submitted regardless of whether the relief
delivery is by trans-shipment through contractors' vehicles or by direct
delivery by agency vehicles. The name of humanitarian organisation;
number and type of vehicles/aircraft; cargo content of
vehicles/aircraft, number of personnel engaged in the operation and the
name of the humanitarian organisation to which they belong; border
crossing point for entry into Sierra Leone; destination of cargo in
Sierra Leone; number of target beneficiaries for the relief assistance.
The Guinea Customs authorities confirmed that the documentation required
for approved deliveries of relief items remains unchanged.
c) Timing: Requests for deliveries of relief items should be submitted
to the Task Force, through the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, in
sufficient time to allow the endorsed request to be forwarded to ECOMOG
72 hours in advance of the scheduled delivery date. A mechanism will be
established for the UN Humanitarian Coordinator to consult with ECOMOG
on security matters.
d) Regulatory Procedure: Requests must originate from a recognised
humanitarian organisation which complies with the Protocols for
Humanitarian Agencies in Sierra Leone included in Annex IV of UN-DHA's
Recommendations to ECOWAS. In the event of non-compliance with the
Protocols, the Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator will take
appropriate action on behalf of the Task Force.
8. The Task Force reviewed the two initial requests for exemption from
the Embargo submitted by the Committee on Food Aid (through WFP) and
UNICEF. The requests were approved subject to the following minor
alterations: the Committee on Food Aid should resubmit the request after
consolidating the schedule of deliveries into a single one-month
schedule and revising the dates of submission and delivery; UNICEF
should include a needs assessment for the appropriate categories of
times as outlined above and include the necessary information on the
point of entry, vehicles and personnel. The Task Force also agreed to
seek confirmation that ECOMOG will deploy personnel for inspection at
the border and ensure the safety of relief operations in Sierra Leone.
UN-HACU agreed to record the workings of the Task Force in French and
English and provide French versions of the necessary background
documents to facilitate the operations of the Task Force. Modalities for
NGO representation on the Task Force are under review and will be
discussed when the Task Force reconvenes.
9. Fuel shortages in Freetown have become increasingly acute. Long
queues have been reported at petrol stations and there has been little
power in the capital during the past month. ECOMOG has issued a press
statement threatening to attack a tanker and a cargo vessel reportedly
docked at Freetown port in violation of the ECOWAS embargo.
FOOD AID
10. From September to November 1997, ACF carried out a food security
survey in Freetown, Bombali and Tonkolili districts. Original plans to
evaluate food security in Bo and Pujehun districts were abandoned due to
insecurity. In Freetown, the assessment analyses food security in the
current climate as well as investigating the potential situation in a
variety of hypothetical scenarios namely: inaccessibility to Freetown
due to road blocks, inflation of fuel prices and mass influx/exodus of
people into/from Freetown. Similar hypothetical scenarios are envisaged
when considering the situation in Bombali and Tonkolili districts.
Copies of the report are available from ACF on request.
11. WFP and ICRC have signed an agreement whereby WFP will donate 1,000
MTs of food commodities to ICRC per month for a period of three months.
HEALTH
12. Morbidity data from the MSF-supported hospitals and clinics in Bo,
Pujehun and Bonthe districts indicate that malaria is the most frequent
diagnosis followed by Acute Respiratory Disease (ARD). These results are
in line with information being received from other parts of Sierra
Leone. Malnutrition in Bo and Pujehun districts is low (between 0.5
percent and 1.4 percent). In Bonthe district, the incidence of
malnutrition is higher ranging from 2.5 percent to 6.3 percent of all
diagnoses in the two clinics reviewed from May to September 1997. This
suggests the need for a nutritional survey subject to security
constraints.
13. According to World Vision, drugs are available in Koidu town in Kono
district but not in the peripheral health units. Malaria, ARD and worm
infestations are the most common diseases. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that malnutrition is on the increase. Access to clean water and
sanitation facilities are poor.
14. In Kenema, MERLIN has reported that admissions to their therapeutic
feeding centre at Kenema government hospital gradually increased from 28
in March 1997 to a total of 235 in September 1997. new admissions
dropped 108 in October 1997 due to the deteriorating security situation
coupled with the aerial bombardment. Total admissions from March to July
were lower than during 1996 but admissions for August and September 1997
indicated a marked increase.
15. Mortality rates in Kenema town, while higher than in a normal
developing country, have not reached emergency levels. In August and
September, Crude Mortality Rates in Kenema town were 0.3/10,000/day and
0.2/10,000/day, respectively. Less than Five Mortality Rates were
0.3/10,000/day in August and 0.6/10,000/day in September. Malaria claims
the most lives of the less than fives and is the single biggest killer
of those aged more than five. In September 27, out of 36 mortalities in
Kenema Hospital died of malaria.
16. Lassa fever admissions at Kenema Hospital have fallen from an
average of 60 per month in May 1997, when the epidemic was declared to a
current average of 20 per month. However, it is difficult to draw
concrete conclusions from these figures due to ongoing insecurity in
Panguma and Tongo which has prevented movement of civilian traffic into
Kenema town. Lassa fever case fatality rate remains low suggesting that
the most severe cases are dying before they reach hospital. Lassa fever
admissions are expected to rise with the onset of the dry season.
17. From 13-29 October, ACF conducted nutritional surveys for children
under the age of five in Makeni town, rural Bombali district and
Tonkolili district. The classical random cluster sampling methodology
was used. The results are as follows:
Location Global Acute Malnutrition Severe Acute Malnutrition
(Z Score) (Z Score)
Makeni 13.9 percent 2.2 percent
Rural Bombali 16.6 percent 2.7 percent
Tonkolili 18.9 percent 3.1 percent
Although the rates of global malnutrition is high, it should be noted that
these nutritional surveys were carried out at the end of the "hungry
season" and that they represent the worst case scenario. The onset of the
harvest should lead to an improvement in the nutritional situation.
Discussions with local civilians in these areas revealed that food
availability was not a source of major concern. ACF will continue to
screen malnourished children in these areas and refer them to the
therapeutic feeding centre when necessary.
18. ACF also investigated the extent of measles immunisation coverage
for children under the age of five in Makeni town and in the districts
of Tonkolili and Bombali. In these three areas an average of 34 percent
of children held vaccination cards, a relatively small proportion when
compared to an analysis of measles immunisation coverage in 1990 and
1995 which revealed coverage of 75 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
As a response to this low immunisation coverage for measles at the
beginning of the dry season, which is traditionally the high risk time
of year for the contraction of measles, UNICEF plans to carry out an
intensified EDI campaign in Bombali, Tonkolili and Koinadugu districts
in the Northern province. Plan International will be involved in the
supervision and monitoring of the campaign in Bombali district.
CHILD PROTECTION
19. There are preliminary indications that the cease-fire has encouraged
RUF commanders to release more non-combatant children. The Kenema
District Diocese Office (KDDO) reported that the RUF were willing to
hand over several hundred children to the Catholic Mission in Pendembu.
UNICEF and Concern Universal are treating the issue as a priority.
20. As at 5 November, 1997 it is estimated that there are 1,700
non-combatant children associated with the RUF. Child welfare agencies
are advocating for the gradual release of these children as a massive
release of these children would have a negative impact on the speed of
reunification and the quality of care which could be provided. There is
also a practical constraint as child protection agencies currently only
have sufficient capacity to provide care for 635 children.
21. Concerns of child welfare agencies that children associated with the
RUF might be rejected by their home communities are being justified in
some areas. RUF children from Lungi and Loko Masama chiefdom reporting
to local authorities in Port Loko town were informed that they had to
surrender their weapons in Freetown before being allowed to return to
their home communities. This is a source of concern. Initial
conversations with child soldiers have indicated that they are fearful
of not benefiting from demobilisation packages.
REFUGEES
22. A recent UNHCR field trip to Forecariah in Guinea revealed a total
caseload of 61,301 Sierra Leonean refugees in the Forecariah prefecture.
This report is available on the internet through RELIEFWEB:
http://www.reliefweb.int
Complex Emergency Division (CED) New York
Mr. Stephen Johnson
Tel.:(1 212) 963.3044
Fax:(1 212) 963.3630
E-Mail: johnsons@un.org
Inter-Agency Support Branch (IASB) Geneva
Mr. David Bassiouni - Chief
Ms. Shahwar Pataudi
Tel.: (41 22) 788.1403
Fax: (41 22) 788.6389
Registry E-Mail: Rosemary.Addo-Yirenkyi@dha.unicc.org
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: Moulin-Acevedo@dha.unicc.org
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