DISPLACED PEOPLE CONTINUE TO ARRIVE IN TOTOTA, LIBERIA

DISPLACED PEOPLE CONTINUE TO ARRIVE IN TOTOTA, LIBERIA

NEW YORK, 9 October (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) -- On Tuesday, 7 October, an inter-agency mission visited Totota and Kakata in Liberia to examine the relocation of internally displaced persons in irregular shelters and assess new population movements into Totota.

In Totota, the mission found that displaced persons are still coming into Totota from Sanoyea.  There are also still influxes of people fleeing harassment by Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) forces in areas around Phelankoli/Gbartala.  In Miamu 2, about 2,000 people are reported to have arrived from Sanoyea, who originally came from areas around Zoezoe.  They are reportedly in a poor state.  Many arrivals in Totota report having endured harassment and abuse.

In Kakata, the mission found that an estimated 3,600 displaced people inhabit the Administration building.  Food distribution is currently under way at the building and the building has been roofed.  However, people urgently need non-food items and tarpaulins to cover the windows.  The displaced persons currently sheltering in the Administration building previously occupied the YMCA building and the Lango Lippay High School.

Registration of students is now ongoing in preparation for the opening of the school year on 20 October.

For further information, please call:  Rosemary Musumba, OCHA Liberia, tel.: (377 47) 53 00 48; Stephanie Bunker, OCHA New York, tel.: +917 367 5126; or Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, tel.: +41 22 917 2653.

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