EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR CONCERNED ABOUT VULNERABILITY OF NEWLY DISPLACED IN NORTHERN GUINEA-BISSAU

EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR CONCERNED ABOUT VULNERABILITY

OF NEWLY DISPLACED IN NORTHERN GUINEA-BISSAU

NEW YORK, 24 March (OCHA) -- The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, today expressed grave concern for 5,500 civilians who have fled recent clashes between Senegalese separatists and the national armed forces in northern Guinea-Bissau.

“I call upon all parties to cease their hostilities, which have endangered the lives of thousands,” declared the Emergency Relief Coordinator.  “Separated from their homes and livelihoods, those who have fled are vulnerable and risk being subjected to undue influence to return to their homes.  It is unacceptable that the rights of the displaced, including their right to voluntary movement and return, be ignored,” he added.

Since mid-March, armed confrontations between a faction of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), a separatist group demanding independence or autonomy from Senegal, and the armed forces of Guinea-Bissau have caused more than 5,500 people to flee from in and around the city of São Domingos in northern Guinea-Bissau.  Of those, some 3,000 have fled to other areas of the country, including to the nearby cities of Ingoré and Cacheu, and to a makeshift camp near Bourkadie.  An additional 2,500 people have sought refuge across the border in Senegal, with the majority staying with host families in the city of Ziguinchor.

Of added concern is the confirmation that anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines have been planted within the conflict area, particularly given authorities’ recent encouragement to the internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes.

Responding to a request from the Government of Guinea-Bissau, the World Food Programme (WFP) and partners have distributed 7,000 metric tonnes of food to affected populations sheltering in Ingoré and Cacheu.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has made available critical non-food supplies, such as essential drugs and 10,000 litres of clean drinking water.

Additionally, a UNICEF health expert has been sent to assess the situation of internally displaced persons in Cacheu, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the non-governmental organization Plan have provided fuel for the transportation of people stranded en route to Cacheu.  The United Nations country team is currently working to update the agencies’ capacity to respond to the growing needs.

In Senegal, district authorities have formed a coordination committee to address the needs of the approximately 2,500 refugees in Ziguinchor.  Participants include the National Food Security Committee and national health authorities, WFP, UNICEF, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the national Red Cross society, and non-governmental partners.

“All parties must refrain from any action that could bring further harm to the civilian population,” concluded Mr. Egeland, adding “there must be respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with humanitarian principle.”

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570.

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For information media • not an official record