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Three months after the agreement by the parties to the Lome peace process to allow unhindered humanitarian access throughout the country, the needs of more than 2.6 million Sierra Leoneans in RUF/AFRC-controlled northern and eastern regions of the country are "largely unmet", Annan says. Part of UNAMSIL's mandate, he says, will be to facilitate the delivery of
humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance needs are expected to triple as aid agencies gain access to parts of Sierra Leone which were previously "closed". Annan has asked donors to contribute generously to the new Sierra Leonean Appeal, to be launched in November, as the current appeal has only received 27 percent of the US $22 million requested.
The return of over a million internally displaced persons as well as half a million refugees has yet to begin. However, Annan says, UNHCR is drawing up plans for a mass voluntary repatriation of refugees in consultation with the governments concerned.
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
