Statement by Sergio Vieira De Mello, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs on the situation in Guinea-Bissau
I am extremely concerned and disheartened
over the resumption of fighting in Guinea-Bissau, and the collapse of the
cease-fire which all parties have largely adhered for almost three
months.
This renewed conflict is having a profound
impact on the humanitarian situation in Guinea-Bissau. Many of the
over 300,000 internally-displaced civilians who had begun to return to
their homes in and around Bissau city are once again forced to seek refuge
in the interior of the country. This is placing a heavy burden on
the rural host communities, which have already exhausted most of their
resources over the last four months in caring for the displaced. Furthermore,
the fighting will most likely disrupt the harvest, which is currently underway.
I urge all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and principles and to ensure the safety and security of innocent civilians. I also appeal to them and to the neighbouring countries to facilitate the delivery of urgently-required humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable populations in Guinea-Bissau.