OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA) Office for (in Abidjan) ______

Liberia Humanitarian Situation Update No. 27 – 4 August, 2003

Security Militiamen commandeered a vehicle belonging to an NGO, ACF in Monrovia on Saturday while it was on duty to dispense humanitarian assistance to thousands of IDPs in Monrovia and its environs. The ACF Head of Office, Frederick Bordeau said he was in contact with senior security officers in the Liberian Government to try and recover the vehicle. Over 30 vehicles belonging to the UN agencies and NGOs have been looted since fighting between LURD and government forces started in Monrovia in June 2003.

Fighting intensified on Saturday as government forces and LURD rebels engaged each other in a seesaw battle for control of the two bridges linking Central Monrovia with its western suburbs and another linking the port of Monrovia with the Somalia Drive, North of Monrovia. According to one aid worker, government soldiers succeeded in beating back rebels from the two bridges after several hours of fighting. It was further reported that LURD had later repulsed government soldiers and many of them arrived with bullet wounds at a Red Cross First Aid post in Monrovia, carrying with them looted goods. The fighting on Saturday around the Stockton Creek Bridge was described as the heaviest since the armed conflict, which has beleaguered Monrovia for the last fourteen days. The aid worker further reported that LURD regained control of the bridge before fighting subsided during the evening. Meanwhile fighting continues in the port city of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County and in Gbarnga, one of Taylor’s strong holds in Bong County

Political ECOWAS diplomats met with President Charles Taylor for several hours last week on Saturday and at the end of talk, the Ghanaian Foreign Minister announced at a press briefing that the President had agreed to transfer power to his successor on Monday, 11 August 2003. He said the timeline for the transition of power, which would include the convening of the joint session of the congress this week Thursday and the formal handing over power on Monday 11 August, was in conformity with the Liberian Constitution. Later, President Taylor met with the press and said he would relinquish power on Monday at 11:59, the next president would be sworn in at mid-day and he would leave the country but fell short of indicating any timetable for his departure. Taylor’s Vice President, , who is expected to succeed him, however briefing the press that he was in agreement with the president regarding the deployment of sufficient peacekeepers and the lifting of the indictment issued on President Taylor by the Tribunal Court in Sierra-Leone as conditions for his departure from Liberia. The ECOWAS leader could not meet with President Taylor upon their arrival on Friday as he was reportedly commanding his fighters in Buchanan, where fighting was taking place between the Government forces and MODEL. Protection Looting of items in Monrovia is still prevalent. There is continued intimidation and harassment of residents by militiamen especially at night. Rape cases have also been reported but the victims are afraid to speak out for fear of being harassed. Reports state that the battlefield commander from the government forces, Benjamin Yeaten has reiterated his earlier call that those committing such crimes will be stopped immediately. Those caught would be severely punished.

Humanitarian Situation

Food and Livelihood Security Amidst chronic food insecurity faced by thousands of war affected people in Monrovia, food security agencies are stepping up actions to combat the wave of malnutrition and other food borne diseases in the country. ACF Country Representative says his agency has established additional therapeutic feeding centers (TFC) at the Sport Stadium in Paynsville, the Newport High and Tubman High Schools in Monrovia and has plans to set up other centres in Monrovia very soon. UNICEF is in liaison with a number of partners to work out modalities to distribute about 1,000 cartons of BP-5 and High Energy Biscuits amongst destitute children. Another international NGO, Save the Children distributed about 30 cartons of WFP donated high-energy biscuits to about 900 orphans at two homes in Monrovia. Meanwhile WFP has confirmed that a half-ton of high-energy biscuits arrived in Liberia on Saturday and details to airlift the remaining three and a half tons of the biscuits were being worked out.

Save the Children Organisation is expected to airlift into Liberia some 30 tons of non-food items on Monday, 4 August 2003 to assist children in difficult circumstances as a result of the war. They further reported that the consignment of relief materials includes biscuits, tarpaulin, children clothes, family tracing kits and cholera kits.

WATSAN ACF has reported that it has rented a truck and begun distributing 100,000 liters of water per day to four displaced centers; notably, Crawford, Gibson, Tubman High Schools and Johnson Street in Monrovia. ACF’s support and re-entry into water supply will help other Aid Agencies including EU, Merlin, ICRC, MSF and OXFAM to tackle the tremendous challenge of providing water to thousands of IDPs currently in temporary camps in Monrovia. In a similar development, ICRC last week brought into Liberia a water truck to support distribution of water to IDP camps.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Muktar Ali Farah, Head of OCHA Liberia (currently in Abidjan) Phone: (225) 22 40 51 75/ Cell phone (225) 07 44 33 92 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Rosemary Musumba, Public information Officer, OCHA Liberia Phone: (225) 22 40 5175; Email: [email protected]