U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) SIERRA LEONE - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet # 1, FY2000 October 7, 1999
(The last fact sheet on Sierra Leone was dated August 10, 1999) Background: Beginning in 1991, Sierra Leone has suffered a civil crisis in which the rebel forces, principally the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), battled the government. The war has claimed at least 20,000 lives and forced almost half of Sierra Leone's 4.5 million inhabitants from their homes. The crisis has been instrumental in maintaining the country's status as the world's least developed country, with an average life expectancy of only 37 years according to the United Nations Development Program. Elections held in 1996 brought President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to power. One year later, his government was overthrown in a military coup led by Sierra Leonean ex-Army (ex-SLA) soldiers who formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and ruled in alliance with the RUF. The Economic Community of West African States Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) subsequently pushed the rebel junta out of the capital, Freetown, and restored the elected president in March 1998. The ousted forces then waged a campaign of terror across the countryside, burning villages, mutilating civilians, and ambushing convoys under "Operation No Living Thing." The crisis deepened in late December 1998 when rebels captured a string of towns in the north, including the northern provincial center, Makeni. On January 6, 1999, rebels invaded Freetown, forcing people in eastern parts of the city and thousands of other civilians to flee toward the city center. The fighting also forced most expatriate staff of relief organizations to evacuate to Guinea. After two weeks of heavy fighting, ECOMOG pushed the rebels out of central Freetown, and by the end of January had regained control of most of Freetown and much of the surrounding peninsula. In April, ECOMOG intensified its campaign to capture areas of the Freetown peninsula still in rebel hands, retaking the strategic towns of Songo and Masiaka. At the same time, preparations for peace talks between the rebels and the Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) were underway. On May 18, the warring parties signed a cease-fire agreement, including a guarantee for safe and unhindered humanitarian access. Peace talks culminated on July 7 with an agreement (the Lome Peace Agreement) that gives the rebels a major role in government. Critically for the humanitarian community, the agreement calls for free and unhindered access for all relief workers and the delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the country. Numbers Affected: During the attack on Freetown in early January 1999, an estimated 5,000 people were killed in fighting. The January crisis left Sierra Leone with an estimated 700,000 to one million internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Unit (HACU), registered IDPs currently total 183,077, consisting of 56,960 IDPs in approved and unapproved centers in Freetown and the surrounding peninsula; 17,077 in Bo; 3,400 in Pujehun; 54,891 in Kenema; 16,377 in Port Loko; 20,000 in Kambia; and 14,373 in Tonkolili. In Daru, it is believed that 95% of the 32,000 people are IDPs. An estimated 90,000 Sierra Leonean refugees remain in Liberia, 350,000 in Guinea, 2,000 in Ghana, and 8,000 elsewhere in West Africa. The rebels are still holding several thousand civilians, including about 1,000 of the 4,000 children they abducted during the January attack on Freetown. Current Situation: A series of measures are underway to implement the Lome Accord and strengthen the fragile peace. A key element of the peace accord is the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program which aims to demobilize an estimated 33,000 - 45,000 ex-combatants from the RUF, the AFRC, and the Civil Defense Forces (CDF). The DDR program entails the establishment of 27 disarmament centers and another 10 demobilization centers throughout Sierra Leone. The operation, which is being led by the World Bank, is expected to cost $33 million. The DDR is to be financed by a Trust Fund set up by the World Bank in agreement with donor countries. The launch of the DDR program is behind schedule. The willingness of rebels to lay down their arms has remained in question, especially prior to the long-awaited return to Freetown on October 3 of RUF leader, Foday Sankoh, and AFRC leader, Johnny Paul Koroma, who are widely seen as key to the disarmament process. The GOSL's DDR Commission, with technical assistance from the the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, plans to finally open the first four reception centers in early October. On August 20, the U.N. Security Council authorized the provisional expansion of the U.N. Observer Mission (UNOMSIL) in Sierra Leone from 70 to 210 persons. It also agreed to expand UNOMSIL's political, civil affairs, information, human rights and child protection elements. The full team of 210 U.N. military observers has not yet arrived. As of September 21, UNOMSIL had deployed 107 unarmed military observers in Sierra Leone. On August 27, Nigeria stated that ECOMOG would withdraw all but 1,000 troops by the end of 1999. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in a September 23 report to the U.N. Security Council recommended the deployment of a 6,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force for Sierra Leone. The force would be deployed to monitor the ongoing cease-fire and to help with disarmament. Both the GOSL and the AFRC welcomed the plan to deploy U.N. peacekeepers, while Foday Sankoh expressed reservations, noting that the U.N. peacekeeping proposal was not in the Lome Peace Accord. Security problems persist despite the peace accord. A series of abductions and attacks occurred during the last two months, threatening the stability of the peace and delaying humanitarian access to insecure areas. On August 4, 40 people, including 20 Nigerian ECOMOG soldiers, UNOMSIL observers, aid workers, and journalists, were kidnapped and held for a week by AFRC soldiers in the Occra Hills region. By August 10, the hostages were set free, along with 200 other civilians, most of whom were women and children. Three senior RUF commanders were abducted in Rogberi and held hostage for a week by AFRC soldiers in early September. In both incidents, the AFRC cited their sense of being left out of the Lome Accord as reason for the attacks. On September 20, a commander of the ECOMOG Guinea contingent, from whom a large store of weapons and ammunition were allegedly seized by rebels in Kambia in mid-September, threatened to violate the cease-fire if their ammunition and weapons were not returned. The rebels stole the weapons and temporarily abducted two Guinean ECOMOG soldiers along the Mange-Kambia highway, north of the Freetown peninsula. Rebels also looted four trucks (one commercial and three relief vehicles) taking food to the north and east of the country in two separate attacks, one on the road to Lunsar and the other at Masuri Junction. By early September, there was a growing public rift between RUF rebels and their allies in the former AFRC junta who felt left out of the Lome Peace Accord. By mid-September, senior ex-SLA commanders pledged a more positive attitude and greater cooperation with the DDR. Given the continuing insecurity in Sierra Leone, UNHCR is for waiting the disarmament and demobilization of the rival forces to be close to complete before instituting a refugee repatriation program to help the half a million Sierra Leonean refugees to return home. Humanitarian Assistance: Access: Since December 1998, the rebel-controlled northern areas of the country have been inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. An estimated 1.5 million people had been deprived of any humanitarian assistance for more than seven months. Since the cease-fire and ensuing peace accord, there have been significant improvements in access, but much more slowly than was hoped. Security along the highways linking Freetown, Bo and Kenema improved, thereby opening the roads eastwards to traffic, including humanitarian aid, again. Several recent assessment missions to rebel-held areas confirm earlier fears that the humanitarian situation in these areas is dire. The U.N.'s Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit (HACU) reported on September 23 that significant progress has been made in delivering humanitarian assistance in the rebel-held Rogberi, Lunsar and Makeni areas. Makeni and Lunsar are perceived to be relatively safe and recent interventions have improved the health and nutrition of the civilian population. In the coming weeks, aid agencies plan to intensify efforts to gain regular access to rebel-controlled areas, particularly Kono and Kailahun districts in eastern Sierra Leone and Kambia District in the northwest. At present, humanitarian activities in these areas are very limited. In Kailahun, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)/France is providing medical services, and Save the Children is supporting a DDR camp at Daru. MSF/Holland is providing medical care in some parts of Kambia District and efforts are underway to expand the range of activities in these locations. Road and other infrastructure repair is a key part of gaining regular access to rebel-controlled areas. Some NGOs, including the USAID/OFDA-funded Merlin, have decided to redirect programs from areas such as Kailahun because of security concerns. The humanitarian community estimates that access to currently inaccessible areas could increase the beneficiary caseload by at least three times the present level of approximately 500,000. With limited access, humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone currently far exceed the humanitarian community's ability to meet them. Nutrition: Assessments of previously inaccessible areas have revealed serious malnutrition among the civilian population. In a late July nutritional assessment of Makeni and surrounding villages, the OFDA-funded Action Contre le Faim (ACF), the lead nutrition agency working in Sierra Leone, found a "catastrophic" situation in which, for example, more than 30 percent of children under the age of five surveyed in Makeni town were malnourished. ACF found that IDP children in camps near Makeni had even higher rates for malnutrition. ACF reported on September 6 that, after some delay due to the kidnapping incident in the nearby Occra Hills, they reopened a therapeutic center (TFC) and three supplementary feeding centers (SFCs) in the Makeni area. The TFC cares for more than 450 beneficiaries and the three SFCs provide wet rations to more than 3,500 beneficiaries. In the south, ACF reports that the number of beneficiaries in the Bo TFC is increasing with continued admissions, mainly from the border area of Yele-Konta (250 in the TFC and approximately 1,250 in the SFC). In addition, ACF is planning to open another TFC in Masiaka if security conditions allow. In Freetown, ACF still operates one TFC. Food Aid: In Freetown, USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) reports continued food aid distribution for IDPs residing in officially approved shelters and food-for-work activities to support the reconstruction of homes, schools and clinics. If the peace holds, programs for IDP shelters will be phased out in Freetown by the end of December, with food aid continuing only for such programs as hospitals and therapeutic feeding centers. In rural areas, a significant portion of food aid is being distributed through food-for-work and food-for-agriculture programs. Improved access to rural areas resulting from the peace agreement has been critical for food aid agencies to replenish stocks and increase food distributions. In July, food was distributed to vulnerable populations in Yele and Port Loko. In the last two months, food agencies have been able to transport sufficient food stocks by road to Kenema and Bo. They continue to distribute monthly food rations to registered beneficiaries in all accessible areas, including the IDP camps in Bo, Kenema, Blama and Freetown. CRS reported that it conducted a large-scale food distribution in Lunsar and surrounding villages in mid-August. CRS distributed over 300 metric tons of lentils, bulgur wheat and cooking oil in to 20,000 beneficiaries. During the week of September 12, USAID/FFP-funded WFP, CARE, CRS and World Vision, conducted a food distribution of 1,2000 metric tons of food (wheat, vegetable oil and lentils) to 97,000 registered residents of Makeni. WFP reported on September 24 that 115 metric tons of food were distributed to 6,400 vulnerable people in the Masiaka area by WFP, ACF and ADRA. Distribution was delayed three times due to insecurity in the Occra Hills area, some 10 km. west of Masiaka. In preparation for distribution of emergency food rations and other supplies, CARE recently completed registration of IDPs in the newly accessible town of Yele and in the area near Mile 91, a strategic junction of the country's northern and southern trucking routes. Until recently, Yele and Mile 91 were cut off from humanitarian assistance. On September 16, USAID/FFP reported that altogether, the four food aid agencies have more than 15,000 metric tons of Title II food stocks. This will be enough to last until January or February 2000, if current caseload estimates are accurate. However, according to USAID/FFP more than half of Sierra Leone has not yet been accessed by food agencies. Poor road conditions continue to impede deliveries despite the improved security situation. More food will certainly be needed as access improves. Food aid agencies have submitted proposals for food assistance programs in FY 2000 which are currently undergoing review by FFP. Agriculture: Rebel advances in December and January left organizations working in the agriculture sector with programs targeted to areas that suddenly became inaccessible behind rebel lines. ACF and World Vision were forced to scale down their programs or shift into more accessible areas. With improvements in access and USAID/OFDA support, CARE, CRS, and World Vision are planning to expand their agricultural programs to newly accessible areas in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Needs in these areas are expected to be substantial; in its July Makeni assessment, ACF found that the hunger gap between the two harvests is particularly drastic this year; the situation will only worsen until the next harvest. The farming season was heavily disrupted. Lack of seeds, fighting and rural populations fleeing the area have resulted in very few rice crops being planted. Seeds and tools have been looted. According to the ACF assessment, only 25% of the inhabitants have been able to plant crops in the Makeni area. Water/sanitation and shelter: Agencies continue to provide water and sanitation coverage to accessible areas, including to IDP camps, and are seeking to expand coverage as access opens up. In addition to constructing wells and latrines and chlorinating water, water/sanitation agencies are providing health education and undertaking cholera prevention measures. Shelter reconstruction is ongoing in Freetown, Kenema, and Blama. Recent assessments to Masiaka, Rogberi Junction, and Yele have found very crowded living conditions (up to 50 people per house), indicating that shelter assistance is needed in newly accessible areas. In Freetown, relief organizations and the GOSL have sought to encourage people to return to their homes, rather than living in shelters, by providing assistance for rebuilding. Relief organizations have divided up lead responsibilities for the camps among international and local agencies. On August 20, USAID/OFDA-funded CRS completed rehabilitation of the Kissy Low-Cost Housing Estate, through which 110 housing units destroyed during the January fighting were rebuilt. To complete the work, CRS contracted three local builders. The project provided housing for more than 800 people. Also in August, CRS officially completed its work with community members to support the resettlement of over 3,600 IDPs to the Calaba Town area of the Freetown Peninsula. An integral aspect of this initiative involved the distribution of Food-For-Work rations and building materials (bush sticks, nails, cement and zinc sheets) to 563 resettling families who were already actively working to rebuild their homes. In total, the agency assisted the reconstruction of more than 59% of Calaba Town's 948 burned houses. The reconstruction has already reached 9,000 IDPs, 39% of the over 21,000 residents displaced from Calaba Town. Health: In health, malaria and measles continue to be persistent problems. There has also been a recent outbreak of cholera. By September 14, the Ministry of Health reported 17 people have dies from cholera and 352 others infected. Cholera hit Port Loko particularly hard where preparedness was poor, according to the Ministry of Health, because aid agencies had been unable to pre-position supplies there. WHO and other partners have been supporting the Ministry in taking appropriate control measures, including surveillance and mass health education campaigns. Available cholera treatment supplies are adequate for the treatment of 3,000 cases. There are sufficient amounts of general drugs and medical supplies to deal with current health needs in accessible areas. However, as access expands, so will the need for medical equipment and drugs. Major needs anticipated include EPI and primary health care (clinic rehabilitation and mobile health units). In addition, preliminary data suggest that Sierra Leone is on the verge of a major HIV/AIDS epidemic. USAID is looking into ways to address this problem. Child Welfare: With the existence of child soldiers, abducted children, and child amputees, child welfare is fast becoming one of the top humanitarian priorities in Sierra Leone. Rebel and CDF forces are believed to still be holding thousands of children captive. More than 10,000 children under the age of 18 are thought to have been enlisted as rebel fighters. To date, only several hundred children have been officially released by ex-combatants on either side. Of the children abducted, an estimated 58% were girls. According to UNICEF, studies have shown that 75% of kidnapped girls who have since been located were subjected to sexual attacks. Following a six-day mission to Sierra Leone and Guinea, the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, proposed a special "Agenda for Action for the Children of Sierra Leone." Among other things, the Agenda calls for special programs to rehabilitate amputees and to provide trauma counseling to sexually abused girls. An international committee has been set up to oversee children's welfare in Sierra Leone, including participants from the GOSL, the rebellion, UNICEF, UNOMSIL, and local NGOs. The committee will attempt to go into rebel-held zones to try to free remaining child soldiers. USG Humanitarian Assistance: USG humanitarian assistance to Sierra Leone in fiscal year (FY) 1999 totals $34.2 million. Of the total, USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) provided $15.4 million in food aid for FY 1999. USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) plans to spend $1.2 million for civil society and support of the Lome peace accord, and USAID/OFDA provided $13.89 million in humanitarian assistance. USAID's Africa Bureau is providing $1.5 million in support of a children's tracing and support network. The State Department's Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) provided more than $5 million in earmarked funds for Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and Liberia (through UNHCR, WFP, International Rescue Committee, American Refugee Committee, and ACF) and is supporting Sierra Leonean refugees through unearmarked regional grants to ICRC and UNHCR as well. PRM plans to contribute funding towards UNHCR to support Sierra Leonean refugee repatriation and reintegration. PRM also plans to support NGO projects designed to help refugees reintegrate. In response to the crisis precipitated by the attack on Freetown in January, a USAID/OFDA team deployed to Conakry, Guinea, where humanitarian agencies' expatriate staff initially evacuated, from January 13 to May 6. In January, OFDA authorized its grantees to use existing grant funds to meet new emergency needs resulting from the recent fighting. This allowed them to respond rapidly to the unfolding crisis. OFDA programmed over $8.4 million for activities through its implementing partners (Africare, ACF, CARE, MSF, World Vision, UNICEF, WFP, and HACU) in nutrition, health, water/sanitation, agriculture, non-food, humanitarian coordination, helicopter support, as well as in-kind donations of 1,060 rolls of plastic sheeting and 50,000 blankets. Following the Lome accord, OFDA programmed an additional $5.43 million to support its current partners to enable its implementing partners to expand into previously inaccessible areas, undertaking emergency programs in the following sectors: health, nutrition, water/sanitation, agriculture, and the provision of non-food relief commodities. BHR/OFDA Complex Emergency Assistance FY 1998 $ 8,251,717 BHR/OFDA Complex Emergency Assistance FY 1999 (programmed to date) $13,892,454 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org appeal fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -