UN officials assess conditions in Liberia's second city

An inter-agency United Nations mission team has travelled to Liberia's second city, Buchanan, to assess the humanitarian situation there and make recommendations about future actions.

Led by Abou Moussa, Secretary General Kofi Annan's Deputy Special Representative for Liberia and Humanitarian Coordinator, the mission found that Buchanan's government hospital is fully operational, but a second hospital there has been partially looted and lacks electricity and water.

During the visit, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) donated drug kits to that hospital, while the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered supplies - including blankets, kitchen sets and tarpaulins - to refugees at the Catholic mission compound.

The mission team found that the food situation is improving thanks to a fall in the price of rice. However, many basic commodities on sale remain too expensive for most Liberians.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been at work in other regions of Liberia, assessing farming families as part of its scheme to distribute vegetable kits and hand tools to needy farmers. An inter-agency mission also travelled to the Kakata camps earlier this week.