Humanitarian catastrophe developing

A humanitarian catastrophe is developing in eastern and southern Sierra Leone due to the deteriorating situation in and around Kenema, UN and NGO sources told IRIN on Friday. As more details emerged of rebel attacks on the town this week, heightened security consciousness in nearby Bo, the country’s second city, has limited or completely prevented new influxes of displaced people there. Consequently, tens of thousands of people fleeng Kenema are stuck between the two towns, which are 60 km apart. The sources stressed that the humanitarian needs of these people cannot be underestimated. “It can be safely assumed that at least 200,000 people are trapped halfway between Bo and Kenema,” they said. The situation is aggravated by logistical and security constraints which make access difficult. Of particular concern is the fact that this group remains dangerously close to the war zone. The NGO, MERLIN, which has been operating in Kenema for three years, told IRIN that four lactating mothers and their children were killed when rebels launched their attack early Tuesday on the hospital side of the town. MERLIN’s feeding tent was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, after which the rebels used AK-47s to shoot into the clinic. A guard outside was repeatedly stabbed. The attack came without warning and traumatised the entire population, MERLIN said. The NGO confirmed that a “huge humanitarian crisis” is in the making. There is a great risk of measles - already at epidemic proportions - sweeping through the displaced people trapped between Bo and Kenema. MERLIN said there was no clean water, no food supplies and only enough drugs to last the week. The security situation made it difficult to transport supplies from Bo, the organisation added. It appealed urgently for international leverage on the military in the area to ensure security for humanitarian workers. Regional observers told IRIN the rebels are using terror tactics designed to cause displacement, which are proving very effective. “The fact they attacked Kenema without warning shows that ECOMOG is not in control of the situation,” they said. They warned that in the light of the Kenema attack, Bo was the last place that could be considered secure. The West African intervention force, ECOMOG, which has regained control of Kenema, has assured residents it is safe to return, but the sources pointed out citizens were unlikely to go back as there were still rumours of a considerable rebel presence in the hills around the town.