Guinean nationals being evacuated from Côte d'Ivoire

AIR OPERATION: In a meeting convened today with officials of the Service National d'Action Humanitaire of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security, representatives of the United Nations Agencies were informed of the start-up of air-ferry operations sponsored by the Government of Guinea to repatriate nationals residing in Côte d'Ivoire.
The first airplane rotations started yesterday Monday 25 November with a Boeing 737 with a maximum capacity of 130 passengers.

A total of 249 evacuees have been brought home yesterday in two rotations with most of the evacuees being women and children in various states of physical and emotional shape. The air operation will continue and the second batch of evacuees is expected tomorrow 27 November.

ACCOMMODATION: A transit center has been established in the Commune of Matam (Conakry District) and another transit center is being set up with a capacity of up to 500 persons in the Commune of Dixin (Conakry District). Most of the people who arrived yesterday have been evacuated to their final destination.

Accommodation services (water, food, health) at the airport and the transit center have been provided by the Red Cross movement and the Guinean National Red Cross. The Guinean National Red Cross has a standby team of up to 125 trained emergency workers in Conakry alone.

PRESSING NEEDS: The most pressing needs identified by the Government and the Red Cross are related to sleeping kits (mattress, blankets...), drinkable water, health kits, hot food and transport (land, air and maritime). The Government also expressed the need to ensure that the needs of these groups are being properly addressed at their final point of destination.

UN RESPONSE: The UN system will convene an emergency meeting tomorrow to explore ways to assist the Government and the Red Cross in this situation in Conakry and elsewhere in the country. The Donors Community will be approached at a later stage to present the humanitarian response strategy being jointly defined by the UN and the Government.

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
GUINEA