HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE IN GUINEA REPORTS INCREASING

NUMBERS OF REFUGEES CROSSING BORDER FROM LIBERIA

AS ZIMBABWE’S FOOD NEEDS INCREASE, UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES

STEP UP OPERATIONS TO ADDRESS UNDERLYING CAUSES

NEW YORK, 18 September -- United Nations humanitarian agencies in Zimbabwe are stepping up operations to address food shortages and their underlying causes.  The United Nations has also identified the need to strengthen a national immunization programme, which has been affected by the country’s economic downturn.

AGREEMENT REACHED ALLOWING HUMANITARIAN ACCESS TO DARFUR REGION OF SUDAN

NEW YORK, 17 September (OCHA) -- The Government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) signed an agreement today that would allow “free and unimpeded” humanitarian access to Sudan’s Darfur region, which covers some 20 per cent of that country’s territory.

UN FOOD PROGRAMME RELIEF SHIP BOUND FOR SOUTHERN LIBERIA

(Delayed in transmission.)

MONROVIA, 12 September (OCHA) -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) relief-ship, Martin I Majuro, steamed out of Monrovia harbour this afternoon (1300 GMT) bound for the small coastal town of Harper, some 236 nautical miles south of the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

CALM RETURNS TO LIBERIA'S WAR-WEARY

MONROVIA, 11 September (OCHA) -- The deployment yesterday of Economic Community of West African States mission in Liberia (ECOMIL) forces beyond the troubled towns of Kakata and Salala, extending into Totota (115 kilometres northeast of Monrovia), has brought renewed calm, said the United Nations Special Humanitarian Coordinator in Liberia, Ross Mountain.

UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES REQUEST $69 MILLION

IN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR LIBERIA

United Nations humanitarian agencies requested $69 million in emergency assistance for Liberia this morning at Headquarters, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan saying, “The logic of this emergency appeal is simple:  without urgent action more lives will be lost.”

UN APPEALS FOR $530 MILLION FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA

(Received from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.)

GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG, 29 July -- The United Nations today launched a 2003/04 Regional Consolidated Appeal (CAP) for southern Africa to provide life-saving assistance for 6.5 million people severely weakened by consecutive failed harvests, extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS.

UN COORDINATOR EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN ABOUT DESPERATE

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN LIBERIA

(Received from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.)

SITUATION IN MONROVIA BECOMING DESPERATE, ACCORDING TO UN OFFICE

[OCHA]

LIBERIA:  GREAT HUMANITARIAN NEEDS REMAIN THOUGH MONROVIA RELATIVELY CALM