Situation in Forest region remains complex, says ACT

The humanitarian situation in Guinea's southeastern Forest region has remained highly complex this year, with the area receiving wave-upon-wave of people uprooted from countries in the subregion by conflicts. In an update on Monday, Action by Churches Together (ACT) said that because positive developments had occurred in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone, allowing for the repatriation of their nationals, Liberians in the region had been regrouped in three camps, including Kola, Kouankan and Laine. The Kouankan camp that sheltered some 33,000 people over the past months, was allegedly used as a rear base by the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), according to a Human Rights Watch report. Concerned at possible violations in the camp, the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Guinean government decided in early May to transfer the people in Kouankan to Albadaria in the vicinity of Kissidougou some 300 km from Kouankan. So far, 5,300 of the 33,000 refugees in Kouankan had been transferred to Albadaria, ACT said. It added that it hoped the geographical distance to the camp would be enough to prevent any political abuse or military usurping of the camps, ensuring the humanitarian character of the assistance provided there. To continue to assist the Liberian refugees, the Guinea program of the Lutheran World Federation/ACT intend to open a small operational base in Kissidougou. ACT said funds initially planned for Kouankan would now be used to sustain the activities of Kissidougou. Other ACT funds planned for 2003 refugee assistance activities in Kouankan, would be used to start the mental health and agriculture component in the Kissidougou.