War displaced in urgent need of shelter

The UNHCR said on Tuesday that only one third of Eritrea’s displaced population had been provided with adequate shelter, according to Eritrean estimates. The agency had sent additional supplies of plastic sheeting and tents from stockpiles in Europe, and UNHCR staff were instructing carpenters on making the best use of wood airlifted from Denmark to make shelter frames, agency spokesman Kris Janowski said. The need for shelter was all the more urgent as a result of the start of heavy rains, which had left several previously parched regions awash and caused severe hardship for the internally displaced people (IDPs). At one mountain site near Karibosa, IDPs were living in caves and under ledges, exposed to the elements and suffering from cold and wet conditions, Janowski said. There were fears of a deterioration of water supplies and sanitation at many of the camps, which could cause a worsening of health conditions, he added.