Relief agencies reiterate SOS for IDPs

Relief agencies have reiterated calls to Liberia's government and the international community for support for the relocation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to safer areas.

Following recent fighting in northwestern Liberia between pro- and anti-government forces, IDPs fled the camps of Jenemana and Bopolu for a temporary site at Sawmill, an area that is closer to the capital, Monrovia. Both Jenemana and Bopolu, which are now empty, were eventually looted and destroyed, WFP's Deputy Head for West Africa, Arnold Vercken, said on Monday.

He said Sawmill had more than 10,000 IDPs and that agencies in the area thought that some 4,000-5,000 more could be on their way to the site, which is about 70 km from Monrovia. Sawmill could have as many as 20,000 IDPs in the next few weeks if the insecurity continued, he added.

According to Vercken, Sawmill is a transit town for soldiers heading for the battlefront. He said that while the site had running water, wood for building houses and firewood, security was a source of concern, and the UN had called on the government to move the IDPs to Clay Junction, about 50 km from Monrovia.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Refugees International (RI) also urged the international community to provide immediate support for the relocation of the IDPs.

The international NGO recalled that in an 8 November bulletin entitled 'Plight of Displaced Liberians Will Worsen Unless They Receive More Assistance', it had called on donors to "provide the funding to move IDP camps to safer areas of Liberia away from conflict zones". Although the IDPs were being provided with emergency services, protection was by far their greatest need, it said, adding that recent reports from NGOs and IDPs stated that both the camps and the transit centres were in high-risk areas.

Meanwhile, Vercken said there was some concern about the high number of young men among the IDPs, who had hitherto been predominantly women, children and the elderly.

The new trend has reportedly led to suspicion that anti-government fighters might have infiltrated the IDPs.