Sierra Leone - UNHC: 01-22.May.98

SIERRA LEONE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT
Period covered: 1 - 22 May 1998

This report has been prepared by the office of the United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for Sierra Leone in Conakry, Guinea


1. Although ECOMOG continues its military campaign against rebel forces in
the East, eyewitness accounts from the area have reported that 3-4 groups
of 20-50 RUF have moved North from Kono in a well-coordinated campaign to
re-establish some of their former bush camps and terrorise local
communities. The frequency and brutality of attacks perpetrated by the RUF
has escalated during the period under review as many of the villages on the
road from Kabala to Kono and to the North of Makeni have been targeted.

2. On 21 May the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the
atrocities carried out by the RUF as -gross violations of humanitarian law-
and expressed -grave concern about reports of military support being
provided to the rebels.- The Security Council also expressed -deep concern
for the plight of all those affected by the continuing insecurity,
including tens of thousands of refugees and displaced persons. It urges all
those concerned to continue humanitarian assistance and underscores the
importance of a comprehensive response by United Nations Agencies in
coordination with the Government of Sierra Leone and with the support of
ECOMOG.- The United States has also issued a statement calling for -an
immediate end to the violence being wreaked on the civilian population by
the RUF.-


HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NORTH

3. The humanitarian situation in the North of Sierra Leone has continued to
deteriorate as groups of RUF/AFRC have continued their campaign to instil
terror among the local population through the indiscriminate killing and
mutilation of civilians. Government hospitals in Makeni, Magburaka and
Kabala and health clinics throughout the North are overwhelmed by an influx
of civilians suffering from amputations and maimings. It is suspected that
those who make their way to hospital represent the tip of the iceberg and
that the majority of those attacked die in the bush.

4. The nutritional status of children under the age of five has
deteriorated as therapeutic feeding centres (TFCs) supported by ACF in
Makeni and Magburaka have reported a massive influx of malnourished
children and are currently approaching full capacity. Admissions to the TFC
in Magburaka have doubled during the pas week.

5. UNHCR has reported that Sierra Leonean refugees continue to flow into
Forokoniah and Gueckedou prefectures in Eastern Guinea at a rate of 300
people per day. Many new arrivals, particularly children, suffer from
malnutrition. The RUF/AFRC are making every effort to prevent Sierra
Leoneans from crossing the border and there are, therefore, many who are
unable to gain asylum. Receiving refugee sites in Guinea are becoming more
and more populated resulting in an increased requirement for humanitarian
services.

6. Internally displaced continue to flow into urban areas. The most recent
reports indicate an influx of 14,000 displaced into Masingbi, 15,000 into
Makeni, 5,000 in Magburaka and 5,000 into Kabala. It is suspected that
there remain large numbers of displaced in the bush who are unable to
access urban areas for security reasons. The most serious humanitarian
consequence of current rising levels of displacement is that farmers are
being prevented from planting upland rice which will result in the loss of
the harvest in these areas. There has been an outbreak of measles in the
camps at Matatoka (near Makeni) and Massingbi and medical agencies are
concerned that there will be further outbreaks of epidemics in other areas
with the imminent arrival of the rainy season.


HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE IN THE NORTH

7. Humanitarian response to the crisis in the North has been severely
affected by constraints relating to security and access. Many aid agency
staff were subjected to threats by the AFRC/RUF during the period of the
ECOMOG intervention and no relief agency has deployed international staff
permanently upcountry since then. Road travel from Freetown to Makeni and
Koidu is also severely restricted. Agencies are also still reluctant to
commit resources such as vehicles and equipment to rural areas given the
widespread looting that occurred in February 1998 and during the period of
junta rule. Nevertheless, the humanitarian imperative demands a response to
the current situation and some progress has been made.

8. In the health sector UNICEF, WHO and MSF have dispatched small
quantities of mattresses, medicine, blankets and plastic sheeting to the
North although it is clear that existing needs have not been fully met.
Local trucking companies have been reluctant to transport larger quantities
of supplies to these areas for security reasons. ICRC and MSF have offered
to coordinate jointly the distribution of medical supplies to the hospitals
in Makeni, Magburaka and Kabala. Local staff from Christian Extension
Services remain in Alikalia, which is situated approximately 40 km South of
Kabala in the heart of the areas which have been recently attacked.
Although short of staff they have worked hard to bury at least 200 bodies
in Yiffin (approx. 10 km from Alikalia) and treat the war-wounded in the
clinic in Alikalia. CRS has supplied drugs provided by UNICEF to Koinadugu
district.

9. UNICEF has supported the Tonkolili District Health Management team to
immunise 432 children against measles in response to the outbreak in
Matatoka and Masingbi. 35 active cases and 13 deaths were confirmed during
the immunisation process. All confirmed cases were newly-displaced children
fleeing the atrocities in Kono district. UNICEF is also providing high
protein biscuits to the feeding centres and hospitals in Kambia, Makeni and
Magburaka.

10. WFP is giving assistance to health institutions in Sierra Leone based
on local requests submitted by the regional technical committees. Out of a
total of 8,033 beneficiaries being supported in hospitals and clinics
throughout Sierra Leone, 4,180 are located in institutions in Makeni. CRS
has completed its distribution to 5,500 people enrolled on the vulnerable
group feeding programme in Kabala. Care International is completing its
vulnerable group feeding distribution to a caseload of 11,700 in Masingbi,
which is located between Makeni and Koidu.

11. The UN, ICRC and MSF are investigating the possibility of hiring
helicopters to conduct humanitarian assessments in areas in the North which
have been inaccessible to the relief community thus far. The execution of
these missions is subject to the provision of security clearance by ECOMOG
and Sierra Leone Civil Aviation.


OTHER HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENTS

12. On 19 May the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator led a UN
inter-agency mission in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone
to investigate reports of an influx of displaced into Daru and Segbwama.
These are areas which have  been inaccessible to the humanitarian community
for several months for security reasons. The mission discovered that there
were fewer displaced in these towns than previously thought as most
original inhabitants had evacuated the area in the wake of attacks
perpetrated by retreating rebels. However, approximately 1,000 - 2,000
displaced from neighbouring chiefdoms moved into Daru and 500 into Segbwama
after ECOMOG secured the area. Large numbers of unaccompanied children were
also identified who are in desperate need of family tracing services.
Although the shelter needs of these groups have been met as many of the
original inhabitants of Daru have still not returned home there is a need
for a targeted feeding intervention and healthcare services.

13. On 5-8 May, 1998 a workshop was held in Bo town to sensitise the local
community and its leaders to the Protocols for humanitarian agencies in
Sierra Leone and to the Code of Conduct that governs the activities of
relief workers. The workshop was a timely initiative due to the recent
commandeering of vehicles by ECOMOG and the kamajors. Planned at the
initiative of the Bo Regional Technical Committee the workshop was
facilitated and sponsored by UN-HACU and Concern Universal. The workshop
was attended by 15 paramount chiefs from Bo district, 30 kamajor
representatives, police, provincial and district administrators as well as
leaders of women?s groups. Since the conclusion of the workshop NGOs
working in Bo have reported that the kamajors have been responsive to the
-Codes of Conduct- and have facilitated the safe passage of relief supplies
to targeted beneficiaries. Nevertheless, there is clearly a need to conduct
similar workshops in other parts of Sierra Leone as elements of the relief
community in Kenema have had vehicles commandeered by the kamajors during
the past week.

14. From 4-8 May a donor mission comprising representatives from the World
Bank, the British Government, the European Commission, the African
Development Bank and UNDP conducted a mission to Sierra Leone to assess the
situation following the return of the democratically-elected Government. In
the area of aid coordination the mission concluded that the role, function
and structure of the NCRRR needed to be reviewed specifically to
concentrate on facilitation, monitoring and coordination and not to be
involved in implementation.

15. While recognising the importance of demobilisation the mission
expressed doubt over the Government?s proposed institutional arrangements
for fulfilling this function. The mission recommended that a separate
institution governed by a Board of key stakeholders and possibly chaired by
the President should be created. The demobilisation programme would be
implemented by an Executive Secretariat comprising Sierra Leonean and
international staff which would report to the Board. This institution
should be disbanded after a certain period to stress the transitional
nature of the process.

16. Based on the overall assessment donors agreed to support Government?s
current needs through existing and updated programmes. For the ADB and the
World Bank, the clearance of arrears is a precondition for the resumption
of their programmes. Donors expressed their readiness to be flexible in
meeting the Government?s needs and to maintain close coordination.

17. The National Commission for Reconstruction, Resettlement and
Rehabilitation has been given the responsibility for investigating the
possibility of establishing camps in the areas in which displaced are
concentrated. Having successfully facilitated the return of most displaced
to their areas of origin during 1996 the humanitarian community is
reluctant to encourage the creation of more camps unless absolutely
necessary.

18. The Ministry of Health supported by WHO, UNICEF, MSF (B), Africare and
Merlin has conducted an assessment of health infrastructure and immediate
health needs in the Northern, Southern and Eastern regions of Sierra Leone
subject to security constraints. The mission?s findings are summarised as
follows: Of the 89 peripheral health clinics visited 21 were burnt down and
31 were operating in rented accommodation, activities of health clinics
were severely constrained by a shortage of drugs, medical supplies and lack
of staff. In each of the 17 hospitals visited there was a requirement for
beds, mattresses, kitchen utensils and accessories. The mission paid
tribute to the support being provided by NGOs to some clinics in the form
of the provision of free drugs and the payment of incentives to health
workers.

19. The Child Protection Committee (CPC) invited Chief Hinga Norman, the
Deputy Minister of Defence and National Coordinator of the Civil Defence
Forces (CDF), to its most recent meeting in order to appraise him of the
salient issues that the CPC seeks to resolve. In this context, the CPC
briefed the Minister about the overall policy of the CPC, including its
stance advocating the unconditional release of children associated with war
regardless of the particular armed group to which they belong. He was also
briefed about the issues pertaining to the demobilisation of child
combatants and the need to release detainees to the specialised agencies
and/or organisations. Specific reference was made to child combatants being
detained in Bo and Kenema.

20. The Minister outlined the CDF command structure explaining that child
combatants associated with the CDF were usually under the command of
-Battle Commanders.- He proposed some prerequisites that would be needed to
prepare for the release of children such as encampment sites to facilitate
the provision of assistance. He also stressed the need for the urgent
provision of resources. With regard to the encampment he was advised that
the CPC advocates that, whenever possible, a child should not be isolated
from his areas of origin as the community is generally recognised to be the
best environment for child rehabilition.

21. The Minister stated that it would be easier to reconcile CDF child
combatants with their communities than RUF/AFRC combatants as the former
were regarded as heroes by the community. However, he did add that any
RUF/AFRC children captured by CDF would be released to child protection
agencies and he sought the guidance of the CPC to enable him to assist in
the release of children associated with war. The CPC requested that the
Minister provide them with a letter addressed to CDF authorities urging
them to release child combatants to the care of CPC agencies and the
Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children?s Affairs (MSWGCA).

22. The Non-Food Committee in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Roads
Authority (SLRA) has begun collecting information on the status of the road
networks around the Country to enable humanitarian agencies to identify FFW
opportunities in support of local communities. SLRA regional officers will
be the focal point for this exercise assisted by NGOs and CBOs.

23. In accordance with government policy to discourage unofficial IDP camps
or -settlements- the non-food committee discussed the ways by which
assistance can be provided to IDPs who have chosen to leave public
buildings. In particular, the case of an estimated 342 persons who have
been living at the Old Fourah Bay College grounds was discussed. Due to a
fire that destroyed the premises on 8 May 1998, the affected community has
chosen to relocate to the Waterloo Displaced Camp outside of Freetown
rather than to their home areas. An estimated 1,000 displaced residing in
the Clay Factory camp in Freetown have also chosen to relocate to Waterloo.
The latter caseload was originally displaced from the Grafton IDP camp
which was destroyed during the recent ECOMOG intervention. UN-HACU and
NCRRR are coordinating the relocation of the two groups to Waterloo,
Non-food assistance, including transport, shelter construction, provision
of household items, water and sanitation will be provided by ADRA, Concern
Worldwide, ICRC, Sierra Leone Red Cross and ACF.


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

Complex Emergency Response / Consolidated Appeal Process (CER/CAP) - Geneva
Mr. Ernest Chipman - Chief
Mr. Thierry Delbreuve
Tel.: (41 22) 788.7019
Fax: (41 22) 788.6389
Registry E-Mail: Abu.Conteh@dha.unicc.org

Information Service
Ms. Therese Gastaut - Director
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2300
Fax: (41 22) 917.0030
E-Mail: tgastaut@unog.ch



distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
Disaster Information Center                   lists: listproc@vita.org
                                                     sitreps   nat-dsr
      web: www.vita.org                              appeal    fireline
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
comments/suggestions/requests to incident@vita.org