Mile 91 relatively calm

The security situation in Mile 91, east of Freetown, is “relatively calm but fluid,” according to OCHA. The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has assured civilians that the situation is under control despite rebel activities across the nearby Mabang River in Mayibin village where 24 houses were reportedly burnt down and a few civilians killed during a recent incident that took place at the beginning of August, OCHA reported. The UN aims to deploy one full Indian battalion in Mile 91 before the end of the month, it added. One priority is to relocate IDPs currently occupying school buildings in Mile 91 town as schools are due to resume in mid-September. Work to clear the site for the construction of a transit camp to accommodate some 4,000 IDPs is already underway, OCHA said. The road connecting the southern town of Bo to Mile 91 is reportedly safe with a constant flow of traffic but road access via the Mabang Bridge continues to be hindered by the poor state of the bridge and harassment by Civil Defence Forces (CDF). Work is expected to start on the bridge soon and UNAMSIL has promised troops to guard it. Humanitarian agencies are concerned about access and security for aid workers and civilians in the area and are arranging meetings with UNAMSIL and the authorities to discuss this, OCHA reported.