ICRC aids thousands of displaced

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday the number of people displaced by fighting in Guinea was increasing daily. It said more than 53,000 of the 70,000 so far registered by the organisation were provided with humanitarian assistance in recent weeks. "The people affected come mainly from the areas near the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, where fighting is taking place between the Guinean army and various armed opposition groups. Most of the displaced are staying with host families in the country's interior," the relief agency said. Among those who have benefited from the distribution of aid are some 20,800 people in the Nzerekore and Faranah prefectures, 20,000 people in Kissidougou and environs, and 12,400 in the Kankan Prefecture. A system has also been put in place to help reunite families separated by the fighting. "The staff involved will be concentrating on conveying Red Cross messages between members of scattered families and reuniting parents separated from their children," the ICRC reported. An ICRC delegation in Guinea has become fully operational, with headquarters in the capital, Conakry, and offices in Kissidougou and Nzerekore. Two additional offices are due to open soon in Kankan and Kindia.