UN peacekeepers were deployed last week to the rebel stronghold of Kailahun, eastern Sierra Leone, where they found civilians in need of humanitarian supplies, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) told IRIN on Monday.
The 107 military personnel and six military observers arrived on Thursday and began setting up in the town, located in the heart of territory dominated by Foday Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF).
There are 2000 to 2,500 people in the town, mainly RUF members and their dependents, and the situation for civilians is “grim,” UNAMSIL Chief Information Officer Philip Winslow said. Food and water are scarce, hunger is widespread and medical supplies are needed.
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
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