Government lifts travel restrictions on UN, diplomatic staff

Liberia’s government has lifted travel restrictions imposed just over three weeks ago on UN staff and diplomats, humanitarian sources said. The move had hampered the operations of UN agencies. WFP reported that it had threatened the delivery of food to the 280,000 people it helps to feed in Liberia, including 35,000 Sierra Leonean refugees, and Liberian IDPs and returnees. A directive from the Foreign Ministry, signed 30 April and received by diplomatic and UN offices during the first week of May, had barred members of the international community from travelling outside a radius of about 60 km from central Monrovia. The measure was imposed ahead of a 7 May deadline for Liberia to avert UN sanctions by proving that it had stopped supporting rebels in Sierra Leone. The government said it was meant to ensure the safety of the envoys amid attacks by armed dissidents in northern Liberia.