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UN agency prepares to evacuate Sierra Leonean refugees in Liberia

UN agency prepares to evacuate Sierra Leonean refugees in Liberia

Sierra Leonean & other refugees caught in strife-torn Monrovia
The United Nations refugee agency has stepped up preparations to evacuate Sierra Leonean and other refugees trapped in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, as a tenuous ceasefire in the battle-weary city enters its fourth day.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), final plans were being made in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, to send a ship to Monrovia that would evacuate the refugees, many of whom fled to the agency's compound in the in the wake of a rebel onslaught.

Since earlier in the month, tens of thousands of people have been pouring into central Monrovia to flee the fighting on the outskirts of the city between government troops and the country's main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).

More than 1,000 Sierra Leonean refugees and displaced Liberians are encamped in UN and embassy premises throughout the coastal town. The refugees are among an estimated 15,000 Sierra Leoneans who were previously assisted by UNHCR in refugee camps around Monrovia.

If the ceasefire continues to hold, UNHCR says that a ship that can carry up to 250 passengers could set sail from Sierra Leone as early as Tuesday morning for the 36-hour journey to Monrovia. The vessel, which has been used before by the UN refugee agency to transport Sierra Leoneans home, will be made available for this operation for an initial period of two weeks.

"The ship is now on stand-by in Sierra Leone," said Moses Okello, UNHCR's representative in Liberia, speaking from the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. "We are trying to establish that it will be able to dock with no problem in Monrovia. We hope to evacuate as many Sierra Leonean refugees as we can." Mr. Okello and other UNHCR international staff were evacuated from Monrovia by French troops on June 9.

Meanwhile, relief assistance to displaced refugees and Liberians has been sporadic. Last week, UNHCR distributed food to hundreds of people who had sought refuge in the agency's compound in Monrovia. This week, the World Food Programme (WFP) plans to make a general distribution of food to displaced Liberians and refugees encamped in various premises throughout Monrovia.

Delivery of aid to the needy populations has, however, been severely hampered by the massive looting and insecurity that have swept Monrovia since the rebel offensive began in the city three weeks ago. UNHCR's warehouses in Monrovia are empty after looters carted away supplies of blankets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting provided to refugees to cover their shelters, kitchen sets and other material.

"While our office in Monrovia has remained intact, we have lost all our light vehicles," said Mr. Okello, adding that vehicle parts had been stolen from larger trucks. One of the first priorities of the UN refugee agency would be to rebuild its stocks upon the return of expatriate staff to the Liberian capital.