UNHCR, RUF visit northern district

A joint UNHCR and Revolutionary United Front (RUF) team visited the eastern Kailahun district between 21-25 October on a sensitisation campaign, UNHCR office in Sierra Leone said its weekly update. The mission's aim was to create awareness especially among RUF commanders on the ground on UNHCR's programmes on refugees and returnees in the district.

According to UNHCR, the mission was a success and the agency has now been given access to provide health care and evacuate emergency cases from the RUF-occupied district as well as evacuate vulnerable refugees. UNHCR, through its implementing partner the International Medical Corps, has set up two health clinics in the eastern towns of Buedu and Kailahun, the agency said. The team also visited Koindu and Pendembu in the east.

It also noted that since the completion of the disarmament process in the eastern Kono district, there have been reports of significant numbers of spontaneous arrivals. The Kono returnee committee has registered more than 22,000 in two chiefdoms of Tankora and Gbense out of the 14 chiefdoms in the district. UNHCR is in the process of establishing a presence in Kono and in the interim, the agency's staff have gone on two monitoring missions with a third in progress.

Preparations are also under way to organise the transfer of returnees in the Lokomassa host community back to Kambia in the north, which is their area of origin. UNHCR said that the sensitisation of the local returnee population in the host communities has revealed that many of them would like to return at the end of November or early December.

UNHCR also reported that in October, some 816 returnees were registered and assisted by the agency.