Statement attributable to the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator on Internal Displacement in Liberia

I am deeply concerned about reports of the forced displacement of internally displaced persons at Sawmill in Liberia. On 27 January, armed men believed to be dissidents reportedly told the inhabitants of the temporary internally displaced persons camp to leave. Shots were fired into the air, causing 10,000 people--- most of them women and children-to flee. As a result of this same incident, roughly half the inhabitants of the nearby town of Tubmanburg also fled to the town of Klay, fearing for their safety.
UN agencies and NGOs were able to quickly assess the conditions of about 25,000 newly displaced persons at Klay town on 27 January, but have since been denied access to IDPs there. Relief agencies estimate that another 9,000 IDPs are still in Sawmill, but are unable to assess their conditions because the area is too dangerous for them to work in.

I remind all concerned that international humanitarian law forbids the forcible displacement of civilian populations. Further, I call on the Government of Liberia to take the measures necessary to protect civilians in armed conflict and to ensure that humanitarian workers have safe, unhindered access to conflict-affected civilians without fear of being deprived of their means of transportation.