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Donors say they are committed to providing humanitarian and economic support and contributing to the restoration of civil authority in Sierra Leone's diamond-rich eastern district of Kono, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported on Saturday. The pledge came at a roundtable meeting on Friday in the capital, Freetown.
The meeting discussed a report based on an assessment mission to the district conducted in September by officials from the Sierra Leone government, NGOs and UN bodies.
UNAMSIL quoted a senior UNDP official, Alan Doss, as saying that his agency would provide small grants as start-up funds for district recovery committees to ensure their effectiveness. He said additional funds would be used to provide capacity support to government officials to Kono, a former rebel stronghold.
Doss also said UNAMSIL's civilian police would set up committees in Kono to assist the Sierra Leone police in carrying out their work, while its civil affairs staff would help restore the district's administration.
Britain pledged support to help restore paramount chiefs in Kono and provide shelter for returnees. The European Union promised to support the rehabilitation of roads and resettlement plans in agriculture, education and health. It said debt relief over the next three years had freed up a considerable amount of revenue for additional government expenditure.
Government officials at the meeting stressed the need for assistance in the agricultural sector.
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
