Food distribution in the southwest

UNHCR and the Guinean Red Cross-Red Crescent began distributing food on Wednesday in Nyaedou camp, 10 km north of the southwestern town of Guekedou. Each of the over 25,000 Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees in the camp were being given one month’s rations of just about 1,600 kilo calories (kcals) per person, and consisting of corn flour, dried beans and vegetable oil, UNHCR reported. This is far below the UN-recommended 2,100 kcals normally provided to refugees, but it is the maximum amount of food aid now available, the agency said.

Similar rations were also being distributed to the 30,000 refugees in Massakoundou camp, 10 km southwest of Kissidougou, and about 12,000 refugees who fled to several sites along the road north of the town. Kissidougou is north of Guekedou. Aid was also being distributed to some 1,000 Guinean displaced persons camped among the refugees.

MSF has established health posts in the camps and has been vaccinating children against measles, UNHCR said. Other medical agencies, including the Red Cross-Red Crescent and the Guinean government are also providing health care.

Refugees in Nyaedou camp told UNHCR staff on Thursday that they preferred to go back to Sierra Leone rather than depend on the precarious aid pipeline in what has become one of the most dangerous situations worldwide where UNHCR and its humanitarian partners are still trying to operate.

Refugees said they hear shooting throughout the night. They told UNHCR that they might soon be safer inside Sierra Leone where they at least know the territory and the local languages rather than living as refugees in a country facing an increasingly precarious security situation.