Senior UN refugee official in Sierra Leone to observe UNHCR operations

Continuing her trip through West Africa, a senior official from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today stopped in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for scheduled talks with President Ahmed Kabbah.

The Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Mary Ann Wyrsch, who is more than halfway through her mission to four West African nations, said during her two-day visit to UNHCR operations in inland areas of Sierra Leone that she was impressed with the progress made in the country despite a lack of resources. She also spent some time in Kenema and Nyandehu to observe the reintegration activities for returned Sierra Leoneans.

UNHCR’s operations in West Africa are particularly difficult because of the ongoing conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia and the recent strife in Côte d’Ivoire. Funding poses an additional challenge to the agency, and a lack of resources caused the temporary suspension of its repatriation activities for Sierra Leoneans last year.

Ms. Wyrsch is in the region not only to assess the operation of refugee camps but also to discuss administrative, financial and management issues with staff members there, as well as to meet with senior government officials and community leaders. From Sierra Leone, she is scheduled visit Liberia tomorrow and Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday.

In Guinea, the first stop on her 11-day trip, Ms. Wyrsch expressed her gratitude to the government for its long-standing support to refugees despite the heavy strain it places on the country’s tenuous economy. UNHCR estimates that Guinea is currently hosting more than 190,000 refugees, mostly from Liberia and Sierra Leone.