Authorities release some Liberians and Sierra Leoneans

Authorities in Guinea on Tuesday released Liberians and Sierra Leoneans they had identified as legal residents and sent word to two border cities to refrain from arresting refugees. The government of President Lansana Conte has asked the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to come up with a plan by Wednesday to transfer at least 10,000 refugees living in the cities of Guekedou and Nzerekore to refugee camps, Chris Ache, UNHCR's resident representative in Guinea, told IRIN. He said transferring the refugees in the short term was not possible. "We need space for it. We need resources and food for them," said Ache. He said he did not believe the refugees were under any immediate threat but that could change if armed men crossed into Guinea from Liberia or Sierra Leone as they have in the past and raided Guinean villages. "My greatest concern now is that there should not be any more attacks," he said. "More attacks may revive the phobia and there could be more attacks against the refugees." At estimated 5,000 Liberians and Sierra Leoneans were detained at the weekend in Conakry following three cross-border incursions in a week, including an attack on a Guinean garrison. Authorities are guarding camps that shelter nearly 500,000 refugees. Thousands more refugees live in towns and cities along Guinea's border, such as Nzerekore and Guekedou, which are located 575 km and 400 km from Conakry respectively. Authorities said the detentions in Conakry were aimed at screening for refugees, who are to be housed in camps, and suspected collaborators of armed groups in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The detentions were carried out by security forces as well as militant youths. Beatings and other abuse were reported. In some cases whole families were rounded up. The BBC reported that retaliatory attacks against Guineans were carried out in Sierra Leone.