UN international staff return to Liberia

(New York: 12 August 2003) - An inter-agency team of UN humanitarian agencies team arrived today to accelerate UN Humanitarian operations as a relative calm came over Liberia's war-ravaged capital.
The team is led by the UN's Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms. Carolyn McAskie, who plans to meet today with UN national staff and humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to discuss the most effective ways to proceed with humanitarian operations now that UN international staff have returned. Ms. McAskie also plans visiting a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), to get a first-hand look at the conditions in which they live and hear the IDPs' concerns directly.

Delivering food to people in need is the top humanitarian priority in Monrovia today. Several NGOs are currently distributing high protein biscuits supplied by the UN World Food Programme. WFP will immediately resume full-scale distribution of food to the population in the capital once access to their warehouses has been granted by the LURD rebels who control it. As of 8 August WFP had already flown in four of the twelve metric tonnes of food they had planned to deliver in the immediate short term. WHO has sent in emergency health kits and supplies for treating cholera, which are to be distributed by NGOs. Clean water is also being supplied to an increasing number of IDP sites around the city.

UNICEF is planning to send 2 shipments to Liberia containing over half a million dollars of emergency supplies. One shipment, consisting of emergency medicines and nutritional items, the shipment will also include water bladders, containers, and water purification tablets is expected to arrive on August 14. Another shipment of nearly 60-tonsof emergency supplies is due to arrive by sea. That shipment will include more than 3.35 million syringes, needles, some 15,000 blankets, tarpaulins, tents, and kerosene lanterns. Distribution of that shipment depends on whether the rebel-held port is opened.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is flying supplies including food and equipment for re-stocking their office in Monrovia. Tomorrow they plan to fly in staff and fuel. On Friday a UNHCR ship carrying food supplies for some 7,000 people will arrive. That same ship is expected to ferry refugees from Sierra Leone back to Freetown. UNHCR is also moving supplies such as kitchen stets, plastic sheeting, lanterns and soap originally destined for use in the Iraq crisis to West Africa for use in Liberia.

NGOs such as Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontiers, as well as the International Committee for the Red Cross are positioning more supplies in Liberia.