Guinea cries for help

Guinea appealed on Wednesday for international help to deal with the insurgency in the southwest of the country and the resulting humanitarian crisis, in which tens of thousands of people have been uprooted, AFP reported on Thursday, quoting state-owned radio. The appeal was made at a meeting between Western diplomats, officials of international finance institutions and ministers, it said. AFP reported that the insurgency in the southwest has cost the Guinean government some US $400 million. Government officials could not be reached on Thursday to verify this figure. In response to the Guinean appeal, Canada and France have asked Conakry to provide a "precise evaluation of its needs", AFP reported, quoting unidentified informed sources. Guinea blames Liberia and the anti-government Revolutionary United Front (RUF) dissidents in Sierra Leone for the insurgency. Liberia has denied the allegation and has also accused Guinea of supporting Liberian dissidents. Guinea and Sierra Leone, allies in the war against the RUF, have called for the immediate imposition of sanctions to punish Liberia.