Only 654 Sierra Leoneans have arrived in neighbouring Guinea since the fighting began in Freetown, according to UNHCR. The regional UNHCR spokesman in Abidjan told IRIN today that 247 of these refugeees had arrived by boat and the rest by foot. No new refugees have been reported in Liberia. He said the number of new refugees has been small because Freetown residents have been trapped in their homes since the renewed conflict and have been unable to flee. “Otherwise, we would have seen many, many more refugee arrivals,” he said. A UNHCR spokesperson in Geneva said yesterday that a contingency plan had been drawn up for the possible arrival of up to 20,000 new refugees in Guinea.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article
