Slow start in refugee relocation

A UNHCR operation to evacuate refugees from an isolated area in southern Guinea called the Parrot’s Beak began on Wednesday with fewer people than expected. About 315 refugees were transported in an 11-truck convoy from the Kolomba camp in the farthest corner of the Beak, to Katkama, a camp located 120 km to the northeast, UNHCR said on Wednesday. The UN refugee agency had expected to transport as many as 1,000 on Wednesday. Those evacuated were among 600 who had registered for relocation on Tuesday evening. Many more are reluctant to leave but the agency said it was continuing to inform them on the reasons for the relocation, which include safety and easier access for aid agencies. Refugees in the Beak, which borders both Sierra Leone and Liberia, had been cut off from humanitarian aid because of fighting along the borders between the three countries. The operation would relocate 30,000 to 50,000 refugees in new sites in the Albadaria and Dabola districts, 200 km north of the Parrot’s Beak. Katkama is being used as a transit camp where refugees receive food and medical aid prior to pursuing their trip. UNHCR hopes to complete the operation by the end of the month, as the approaching rainy season could severely hamper it, the agency said. The start of the operation had been scheduled for Monday but was delayed until Wednesday because refugees opposed walking part of the way as had been planned.