UN seeks $11.2 million to meet humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone over next 3 months
Press Release
AFR/41
IHA/651
NEW YORK, 3 March (Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs) -- The United Nations today appealed for $11.2
million to meet priority humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone over the next
three months, as the country recovers from the forceful removal of the
military junta.
The United Nations Consolidated inter-agency
flash appeal for Humanitarian Assistance to Sierra Leone was prepared in
response to calls from the Government of Sierra Leone, the Security Council,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the international community for urgent
action to meet the immediate humanitarian needs in the country. An inter-agency
humanitarian assessment mission to the region took place in early February,
followed by a rapid inter- agency humanitarian and security mission to
Freetown on 18 February.
These missions determined that the current
humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone remains serious. The primary health
care system has been devastated by lack of supplies, looting and the exodus
of medical personnel at all levels. Widespread neglect of water and sanitation
facilities has increased the exposure of hundreds of thousands to disease.
The normal distribution of food to vulnerable groups has been disrupted,
affecting children in particular. Many children have also suffered exposure
to acts of violence by being sent into battle as combatants. The public
education system has collapsed; all schools have been closed since the
coup d'etat last May. The numbers of internally displaced people have increased
and the welfare of some 14,000 Liberian refugees remains a matter of concern.
The flash appeal seeks funds for priority
intervention to support agriculture, re-establish basic health and education
services, ensure the resumption of food aid distributions and provide protection,
as well as assistance, to the most vulnerable groups affected by the current
conflict. In so doing, it complements the 90-day programme of the Government
of Sierra Leone, which serves as a framework for action following the restoration
of democratic civilian rule in the country. The Flash Appeal also takes
into account aspects of the Conakry Agreement that may still need to be
implemented in the short term, particularly disarmament and demobilization.
Medium-term tasks, such as the assisted repatriation of Sierra Leonean
refugees and reintegration of ex-combatants, are not covered in this appeal.
The ongoing military intervention has
paved the way for the restoration of the legitimate government and is expected
to provide increased opportunities for the humanitarian community to accelerate
its activities in response to the humanitarian crisis in Sierra Leone.
It is hoped that the international community will contribute generously
to the humanitarian programme outlined in this appeal in order to
provide the crucial assistance needed to sustain lives and to promote stability
in Sierra Leone.