Sierra Leone
Food delivery to Sierra Leonean refugees difficult

afrol.com, 22 October - The World Food Programme (WFP) says it has made the first food delivery to Daru, a town surrounded by the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in eastern Sierra Leone, after more than three months of absence because of insecurity. Access to Daru can only be made by air. Other areas remain inaccessible due to heavy fighting.

Fighting along the border of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia continues, according to the WFP. Heavy battles were reported in Sierra Leone villages of Kaseri, Tumbu, and Kichum. Villages along the border and refugee camps in Guinea thus remained inaccessible to humanitarian agencies due to security concerns. 

Although not in large number, returning refugees and internally displaced persons continued to arrive into Lungi, reporting continues attacks and harassment by the military on the way. The returnees also reported that the refugees still in camps in Guinea are not allowed free movement in and out of the camps and once the movement is allowed the numbers of returnees would increase.

WFP continued to monitor the situation and distribute food to returnees and internally displaced, who fled fighting in Kambia District, arriving to Lungi. A total of 30 tons of food was distributed to 19,989 returning refugees, and 27 tons to vulnerable internally displaced, the WFP reported. Overall, WFP distributed a total of 1,270 tons of food to 116,358 beneficiaries in Sierra Leone during the week.

The agency also concluded food distribution in Tasso Island and in Pepel Island, where there are reports that the food situation is improving. Further, the WFP is angaged in Bo and Kenama, mainly providing food aid to school children and returnees from Liberia.

Although the in-country food stocks of the WFP still are high, cereals shortfall are a concern. WFP will have to further reduce its programmes by the end of November if the situation does not improve, the UN agency has stated.

Source: Based on UNHCR

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