ICRC distributes assistance to thousands1

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sierra Leone Red Cross (SLRC) started distributing shelter and material assistance to 19,042 newly displaced people on Saturday, the ICRC said in its latest update. The beneficiaries, some 2,642 families, were registered by the ICRC/SLRC team along the Ronieta-Yonibana axis (southwest of Mile 91, some 144 km east of the capital Freetown). Some 221 families displaced on Tasso Island, north of the capital, were given 275 pieces of tarpaulin on 11 July, the update said. Since 16 July, about 22 civilians wounded during recent clashes were admitted to the government hospital in the eastern town of Kenema and taken care of by an ICRC surgical team and hospital staff, according to the ICRC update. Due to instability in the Mile 91 area in recent weeks, an SLRC emergency medical programme focusing on the treatment of children under five years, assisted with logistical support and drugs by the ICRC, only began on 19 July. Some 46 children were immunised for diptheria, polio and tetanus, and baby clothes were available for those who need them, the ICRC said.