UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata said an eventual repatriation of refugees to Sierra Leone would depend on the security situation. Summarising her West African visit, a UNHCR spokesman quoted her as saying it was practically impossible to get humanitarian aid to most of the country.
Yesterday, addressing a news conference in Abidjan at the end of her tour, Ogata said she hoped the West African intervention force, ECOMOG, would stay in Sierra Leone, despite Nigeria’s intention to withdraw its troops. “I hope there are no immediate drastic changes following the election in Nigeria as there is no alternative to peacekeeping forces at present,” she said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article