UNITED NATIONS SEEK $11.2 MILLION TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN SIERRA LEONE OVER NEXT THREE MONTHS
Press Release
AFR/41
IHA/651
UNITED NATIONS SEEK $11.2 MILLION TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN SIERRA LEONE OVER NEXT THREE MONTHS
19980303 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.
- 2 - Press Release AFR/41 IHA/651 3 March 1998
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.
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