Fresh fighting causes 3,000 to flee

Renewed fighting between rebels and government in eastern Liberia has forced some 3,000 people to seek refuge in Sierra Leone, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Monday. The influx from the town of Kolahun exacerbated the refugee situation at the border between the two countries and prompted a multi-agency relief effort to ease the pressure there, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "Fighting between government troops and rebels from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) intensified around Kolahun town in upper Lofa County, north-western Liberia, on 2 October," the agency stated. "Villagers fled and started crossing the border at Manduvulahun in Kailahun district, eastern Sierra Leone, on Thursday. At its peak, there were up to 200 Liberians arriving every hour," it added. The situation had reportedly stabilised by the weekend but was still tense at the border, according to the UNHCR. United Nations military observers are understood to be watching the situation closely. The influx brought to 16,000 the total number of Liberian refugees waiting to be transferred to camps in Sierra Leone from the border areas of Kailahun District. Some arrived as early as May but declined to be relocated to camps further inside Sierra Leone in the hope of returning home as soon as peace was restored in Liberia. UNHCR said on Monday that the new arrivals appeared to be in bad condition, with many considered to be "vulnerable cases". Sixty two of those, including some malnourished children, were quickly identified and referred to Kailahun hospital by the nongovernmental humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-France). Many of the refugees were women and children under six, who were in dire need of food, shelter and medical assistance, UNHCR added. Prior to last week's arrivals, the last wave of Liberian refugees into Sierra Leone reached a peak in June, when there were 10,000 arrivals. Sierra Leone is now hosting some 60,000 refugees who have fled fighting in Liberia, 46,000 of whom have arrived there this year alone. About 38,000 are in camps, 16,000 are at the border awaiting transfer to camps and a further 8,000 live in urban areas of Sierra Leone, according to UNHCR statistics.