Sierra Leone - OCHA: 09.Jun-06.Jul.98

SIERRA LEONE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT
Period covered: 9 June - 6 July 1998

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


SECURITY
1. Although fighting between ECOMOG and rebel forces continues in Kono
district and to the North of Makeni town, there has been a marked reduction
in the overall number of attacks in Sierra Leone during the period under
review as RUF / AFRC have begun to entrench themselves in bush camps due to
the onset of the rainy season. It is believed that the rebels have
established bases in Port Loko district and in various locations in the
North and North-East of Sierra Leone.

2. There has also been a significant reduction in the influx of war-wounded
into the hospitals in Makeni, Magburaka and Freetown as a result of the
reduction in hostilities. According to MSF, the number of war-wounded
patients admitted into Connaught hospital in Freetown during June 1998 was
half the number admitted during the previous month. Relief agencies have
taken advantage of improved road security to increase their level of
activity in rural areas and the roads from Freetown to Kambia, Makeni,
Kabala, Bo and to a lesser extent, Masinghbi have all been used by
humanitarian vehicles.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
3. In his latest report on Sierra Leone to the Security Council, the UN
Secretary-General recommends that a six-month peace-keeping observer
mission be established to monitor the security situation and to assist the
Government and ECOMOG in disarmament and demobilisation activities. The
mission, which would require up to 70 officers, as well as a medical unit
of 15 persons, would be called the United Nations Observer Mission in
Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL). The Office of the Special Representative would also
be expanded to include an increased number of human rights officers and
civilian police advisers. At the time of writing these proposals have not
yet been approved by the Security Council.

HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENTS
4. UN-HACU is compiling a database on the location and condition of the
newly-displaced in Sierra Leone, based on estimates provided by relief
agencies present  in these areas. At present, there are believed to be at
least 140,000 displaced in the Northern and Eastern provinces since
ECOMOG's intervention in March 1998. 113,000 are located in the Northern
Province (includes Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Bombali, Port Loko and Kambia
districts) and 27,000 in the Eastern Province (includes Kono, Kailahun and
Kenema districts). There has been no new displacement in other parts of
Sierra Leone.

5. Ongoing inter-agency assessments in the North of Sierra Leone continue
to unearth disturbing evidence of a rapid deterioration in the humanitarian
condition of displaced populations. On 10 June, a rapid nutritional survey
of 608 children under the age of five living to the East of Koidu town
(using the MUAC technique) revealed severe acute malnutrition of 11 percent
and global acute malnutrition of 29 percent. Although these results need to
be verified by a more systematic nutritional survey, they do massively
exceed the threshold at which a humanitarian crisis is usually declared
suggesting the need to implement specialised feeding programmes as soon as
possible.

6. Following the Koidu assessments, UNICEF deployed staff to Koidu town to
collaborate with Ministry of Health officials in implementing emergency
health care in secure parts of Kono district. Representatives of the
Catholic church were also deployed to reactivate child protection
activities and World Vision staff deployed to monitor influxes of displaced
from Konon.  These staff were evacuated shortly afterwards in the wake of a
massive attack by an estimated 300 RUF on Koidu town which was repelled
with difficulty by ECOMOG. Thus, despite the extensive planning which has
taken place, the capacity of aid agencies to intervene directly in Kono
district is limited, due to ongoing insecurity. However, as the Kono
district medical team is still functional UNICEF, WHO and health NGOs have
taken the opportunity to provide essential drugs and supplies in response
to the desperate health situation in the district. Four satellite clinics
will be established in the area to serve the affected population.

7. On 30 June, UN-HACU in collaboration with the National Commission of
Reconstruction, Resettlement and Reintegration organised an inter-agency
assessment of Masingbi (located between Makeni and Koidu in Tonkolili
district) in the light of reports of a continuing influx of displaced from
Kono district into the town. The mission comprised representatives from the
Government, UN Agencies and NGOs, some of whom travelled by road and some
by helicopter. The mission identified a severe humanitarian situation and
the key findings are summarised as follows: the estimated population of
Masingbi is 25,000 of whom approximately 15,000 are internally displaced,
750 people had been buried during the past two months, the main causes of
death reportedly being measles, diarrhoea, Acute Respiratory Infection and
malnutrition, Masingbi town is overcrowded with an average of 20-30 people
living in each house causing many of the displaced to squat in school
compounds, the population remains in extremely poor condition due to a
shortage of drugs, food, shelter and adequate water and sanitation
facilities.

8. Although the Government of Sierra Leone and the humanitarian community
have been reluctant to endorse the creation of new camps, this policy is
being reviewed in the case of Masingbi due to the severity of the
humanitarian situation, and the fact that the local population has made
efforts to reactivate the former displaced camp through the partial
construction of 2,250 structures. Care International has proposed to send a
camp manager to the area to ensure that construction of the settlement is
environmentally sound. One of the most immediate concerns is the initiation
of a comprehensive water and sanitation programme and a proper drainage
system. There is also an urgent need for plastic sheeting with the onset of
the rainy season, which is a problem due to the current shortage of plastic
sheeting in-country. Lastly, some of the booths have been poorly sited and
need to be reconstructed in a more favourable location.

9. The humanitarian response to the crisis in Masingbi has been
encouraging. Care distributed food to 11,700 vulnerable groups during June
and will target 15,240 vulnerable families during July. CSB has been added
to the food package to improve the nutritional status of the local
population, UNICEF, MSF and ICRC have despatched medical supplies and
vaccines and will implement a measles vaccination shortly, ACF is screening
and relocating the malnourished on a weekly basis, and World Vision has
deployed staff to Masingbi to monitor influxes of displaced from Kono
district.

10. Efforts to promote humanitarian principles throughout Sierra Leone
continue. From 1 to 2 July the second workshop to promote the humanitarian
protocols and code of conduct developed jointly by the relief community was
held in Kenema town. The workshop was attended by representatives from
ECOMOG, kamajors, paramount chiefs and civilians and was facilitated by the
regional technical committee and international agencies operational in
Kenema. The workshop, which was well-received, sparked a frank discussion
of the role of relief agencies in Sierra Leone and helped to allay some of
the misconceptions over the activities of humanitarian agencies in Kenema
district.

11. In a parallel initiative to promote humanitarian principles, more
effectively in remote rural areas the Government's National Commission for
Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation and members of the
humanitarian community are currently producing tapes comprising skits,
jingles and songs which explain in different tribal languages humanitarian
objectives in a manner which is easy for local communities to comprehend.
The content of these tapes will be disseminated to rural communities by
radio and through chiefdom development committed and other local partners.

Humanitarian ideals will also be conveyed visually through the use of
posters. Although the sensibilisation campaign will address overarching
humanitarian objectives, there will e a particular focus on food aid
activities.

12. The humanitarian community is currently discussing the possibility of
revising the humanitarian protocols and codes of conduct in the light of
the changing circumstances in Sierra Leone. The ultimate objective is to
achieve as much uniformity and transparency as possible among the
humanitarian community within the constraints of agencies different
mandates.

13. In a briefing to the Security Council following his recent mission to
Sierra Leone, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs made the following remarks: he paid tribute to ECOMOG but pointed
out that ECOMOG was constrained by its limited strength, mobility and
logistics, he expressed his concern over the kamajor's continued
recruitment of child soldiers and commandeering of relief agency vehicles,
but had received assurances from the Deputy Minister of Defence that these
issues would be addressed, he mentioned that while it was important to
maintain military pressure on the AFRC /RUF, it did not appear that the
conflict could be resolved by military means alone, he expressed concern
over the humanitarian situation and referred to the current UN Consolidated
Appeal for Sierra Leone which seeks to mobilise resources to meet these
humanitarian needs (see point 14 below), he condemned the AFRC/RUF
terrorist tactics as an -abomination- and suggested that the perpetrators
should be brought to justice, and he emphasised the importance of prompt
implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration
programme.

14. On 26 June, the United Nations launched a Consolidated Inter-agency
Appeal to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of populations affected by
crisis in Sierra Leone. The Appeal seeks total of USD 20.2 million, the
largest component of which is USD 7.2 million sought by UNHCR to meet the
immediate needs of 255,000 new Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and
Liberia.  The Appeal also seeks to support the emergency assistance
priorities of the Government of Sierra Leone, as well as international and
local efforts to facilitate peace and reconciliation.

FOOD AID
15. As of 1 July, the four food supply agencies for Sierra Leone, namely
WFP, Care, CRS and World Vision had a total of 11,700 MTs of food
commodities in-country.  The food is being stored in a variety of different
locations throughout the country and should be sufficient to support
existing programmes until the scheduled arrival of new shipments in
September 1998.

16.  The Committee on Food Aid (CFA) is currently reviewing its food
strategy in the light of the increasingly desperate plight of the displaced
in the North and the East of the country.  As displaced persons are not
automatically entitled to food aid, it has been decided to review the
criteria governing eligibility for the vulnerable group feeding programme
in areas where the displaced are prevalent to ensure that their needs are
satisfied.

Implementation of the proposed expanded vulnerable group feeding programme
is subject to security conditions at distribution points. For example,
deteriorating security in the Koidu area does not allow the provision of
food assistance at this time.

17. The food supply agencies have decided to continue the Food for
Agriculture programme for a third month. The decision on whether to
continue the programme for a fourth month will be made in July.

HEALTH
18. In response to reports of increased numbers of diarrhoea cases in Port
Loko and Kambia districts, (areas which have been prone to cholera
outbreaks in the past) the reactivated Cholera Task Force has implemented
measures to improve cholera preparedness. Within this context, WHO has
agreed to do the following: to preposition cholera emergency supplies in
the Western area, including the restocking of reagents to ensure laboratory
confirmation of the cholera vibrio, to support the re-establishment of
weekly surveillance reporting of diarrhoea cases in the Western Area and
Kambia district, to conduct refresher training workshops on cholera
prevention and control in collaboration with other partners.

19. Following reports of a measles outbreak in Magburaka in Tonkolili
district, an investigation conducted by the Ministry of Health recorded a
total of 66 cases and four deaths. WHO and UNICEF supported the Ministry of
Health's efforts to manage theses cases through the provision of drugs and
supplies.

20. The Ministry of Health, supported by WHO, has established a committee
to produce a two-year action plan designed to reduce maternal and infant /
child mortality. The plan will incorporate proposals to address the
following elements: improve practical skills in maternal and child health
care, upgrade health facilities for service delivery, establish an
efficient health information system, reduce infant and under five mortality
rates, reduce malnutrition, control communicable diseases, improve health
education.

CHILD PROTECTION
21. At the conclusion of a workshop on Family and Community Reintegration
facilitated by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's
Affairs in collaboration with UNICEF, Christian Children's Fund,
International Rescue Committee and Children Associated with the War, it was
recommended that an appeal should be made for presidential pardon and
public forgiveness of children who had inadvertently committed atrocities.
It was also agreed that NGOs should be encouraged to provide support to
traditional structures for the acceptance, reintegration and reunification
of children associated with fighting forces.

REFUGEES
22. UNHCR has reported that the authorities in the town of Gueckedou in the
East of Guinea have prevented relief agencies from accessing more than
150,000 Sierra Leonean refugees located to the South-West of Gueckedou near
the border of Sierra Leone. The Guinean authorities have denied access to
these areas since 15th June, 1998 citing security concerns. The UN High
Commissioner for Refugees has written to President Lansana Conte requesting
that the authorities re-open the roads to refugee sites near the Sierra
Leonean border on -strictly humanitarian grounds.- The Sierra Leonean
refugees are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as the health and
nutritional status of the refugee population is known to be extremely poor
resulting in high mortality rates.

23. The results of a recent verification exercise conducted by UNHCR
through its implementing partner, Concern Worldwide, revealed a total of
7,316 Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone, 2,458 refugees were in Freetown,
1,044 in Waterloo camp on the outskirts of Freetown, 1,468 in Bo and 2,346
in Kenema. The refugees are receiving assistance in the form of food aid
and access to healthcare. Of the estimated 1,000 refugees registered for
repatriation to Liberia, 353 have been transferred by sea to date.

24. UNHCR has reported that some 31,500 Sierra Leonean refugees located in
counties in South-Western and Central Liberia have spontaneously
repatriated to Sierra Leone. It should be noted that these refugees are
part of the former Sierra Leonean refugee caseload in Liberia (estimated at
127,000) and are in no way connected to the new influx of 55,000 into Vahun
in North-West Liberia following the ECOMOG intervention. The majority of
the refugees originate form kamajor-controlled areas in the South and East
of Sierra Leone


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



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