Relief officials battle to ease IDPs’ plight

Relief bodies continued efforts this week to help thousands of people displaced by the war between pro-and anti-government forces in Liberia’s northern county of Lofa. Some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) were relocated this week from the Fassama and Baloma areas to Bopolu in Gbarpolu County (formerly Lower Lofa). A humanitarian source told IRIN that Save the Children’s Fund had relocated just under 1,900 people to Bopolu, the main town in Gbarpolu, up to Wednesday and was monitoring the situation around Fassama and Baloma to see if there were more IDPs in the surrounding bushes. Another main group of IDPs are at Gbalatuah and Belefane, near the border between Lofa and Bong counties, the source said. Relief workers had complained last week that security forces prevented them from reaching these IDPs, although a group of USAID, UNICEF and government officials reached the area this week. The source said efforts were being made to encourage the government to allow better access to the Gbalatuah and Belefane IDPs pending their relocation. An effort is underway to determine the number of IDPs. Pending its result, the humanitarian community is working with an estimate of 30,000, the source said.