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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
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 at un.orgComplex 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 at dha.unicc.org
Information Service Ms. Therese Gastaut - Director Tel.: (41 22) 917.2300 Fax: (41 22) 917.0030 E-Mail: tgastaut at unog.ch
[The material contained in this communication comes to you via IRIN West Africa, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. UN IRIN-WA Tel: +225 21 73 66 Fax: +225 21 63 35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci for more information or subscription. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this report, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. IRIN reports are archived on the Web at: http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail to archive@dha.unon.org . Mailing list: irin-wa-extra]
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 12:56:02 +0000 (GMT) Subject: Sierra Leone: UN-OCHA Humanitarian situation report, 98.7.13 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980713125233.10113A-tp://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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