Fighting reported in Bong, Tubmanburg

Renewed fighting was reported in Liberia's northern Bong and western Tubmanburg counties on Monday, a diplomatic source in the capital, Monrovia, told IRIN. Liberian President Charles Taylor told a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, that fighting was going on but government troops had repulsed the rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (LURD), news agencies reported. Taylor was quoted as saying his troops had also recaptured Bopolu and Kolahun, both in Lofa county. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said because of continuing conflict, it was "extremely worried" about refugees in the Sinje camps, 50 km northwest of Monrovia. The refugees were cut off from any assistance since fighting erupted in May near Gbarnga town in Bong, UNHCR spokesman Chris Janowski, told a news conference in Geneva. "Without the green light from the government on the safety of the road from Monrovia to the camps, UNHCR cannot undertake any mission to provide additional food," he said. "We also fear that elements of the fighting forces in the region might start looting these unprotected refugee areas," Janowski added. The agency was also worried about the plight of the displaced within Liberia whose number had "increased steeply" over the past weeks. At least 58,000 displaced were staying in five settlement areas - 12,300 around Zuannah town, 29,500 in VOA camp, 13,460 in Sinje and 3,000 in Samukai, all in the vicinity of Monrovia town. "UNHCR is trying to assist some of the most needy, but we face budgetary constraints. Limited assistance in medical care and some temporary shelter is all we can give at this moment," he said. Meanwhile, the NGO, Refugees International (RI), on Monday appealed for donor support to UNHCR to manage the increasing caseload of Liberian refugees in the region, urging that the $11 million the UN agency requested, be granted. The agency, RI said, was working with an interagency taskforce to prepare for a possible dramatic increase in Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone and Guinea where it recently sent humanitarian aid to the forest regions to assist new arrivals. A UNHCR official told IRIN on Tuesday, that the agency had appealed for the funds to support new arrivals since the beggining of the year. The arrivals so far included 15,000 in Guinea, 24,000 in Sierra Leone and 13,000 in Cote d'Ivoire.