Sierra Leone
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SIERRA LEONE INITIAL OBJECTIVES limited opportunities, for humanitarian activities in the RUF-held territory. • Monitor the physical safety and living conditions of returnees in main areas of In addition to providing assistance to Sierra return and report any security or Leonean returnees and Liberian refugees as protection-related incidents to the envisaged at the beginning of the year, Government; follow-up and intervene UNHCR has facilitated the return to with the authorities if necessary; Conakry of 60 Guinean nationals who had • Provide community-based reintegration been abducted. assistance in a cost-effective manner to communities receiving large numbers of Sierra Leonean Returnees returnees with a view to increasing their It was foreseen that 100,000 Sierra Leonean absorption capacity and render return refugees would return in 2001, should the more viable; security situation improve. Since January, • Encourage increased involvement of UNHCR, together with IOM, has been local grass-roots organisations and facilitating the transportation of refugees international development agencies to from Conakry to Freetown, despite speed up economic and social recovery unfavourable conditions for return in Sierra and prepare the ground for longer-term Leone. Between January and June 2001, sustainable development programmes; some 21,000 returnees were transported by • If the security situation in Sierra Leone boat from Conakry to Freetown. As the improves, increase support for voluntary situation in Guinea gradually improved, the repatriation by providing reintegration return movements by boat fell from 2,500 packages and transport assistance; persons per week to less than 200 towards • Offer technical advice and support the end of June. Since December 2000, the (material, financial or logistical), if overland return from Forecariah in Guinea to required, to the Government and others the Lungi Peninsula in Sierra Leone has also taking care of IDPs in main areas of decreased drastically following the closure return; and of the border between the two counties; • Help Liberian and other refugees in need hence, only about 400 individuals have of continued international protection to returned in 2001. In Kabala and Daru achieve long-term solutions through (enclaves of government controlled areas), local integration or resettlement. some 20,000 returnees were registered. Non- food items were provided to those MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS, individuals upon arrival. In addition, over ACHIEVED AND CONSTRAINTS 13,000 returned as a result of armed conflict in Lofa County, Liberia. Following the signing of the Abuja 2 Agreement between the Government of At the outset of the return movement, Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United UNHCR, in co-operation with the Front (RUF) in early May 2001, progress Government, established three transit centres was made in the deployment of UNAMSIL with a total capacity of 8,500. These centres to Kono and other areas; the disarmament of were to host those who returned by boat RUF and the pro-government militias in the from Conakry, while temporary settlement Kambia and Port Loko districts; and the sites and potential host communities were reopening of the border with Guinea. These identified and established in the eastern and developments have brought new, though southern parts of the country. UNHCR has been undertaking systematic monitoring of UNHCR Mid-Year Progress Report 2001 - 111 returnees in transit centres, temporary transit camps are affected by better settlements and host communities together economic opportunities and security with governmental counterparts, conditions in the Freetown area making implementing partners and other NGOs. them reluctant to move. Members of the Support structures, such as the child Kono ethnic group expressed fear of being protection network and victims of violence resettled in predominantly Mende areas. programmes, have also been established. Returnees originating from safe areas have also been unwilling to leave transit centres Three temporary settlements in Jembe, because of the absence of basic Gerrihun and Bandajuma have been infrastructure in their areas of origin established for those who are unable to following ten years of civil war. Numerous return to their places of origin. A fourth efforts have been made to overcome such settlement, Taiama, will be operational in obstacles. UNHCR, for example, has August. Two chiefdoms were identified as undertaken a joint returnee sensitisation host communities for returning refugees. mission together with the Government and The Barri Chiefdom in the south of the implementing partners. A plan of action has country currently accommodates some 6,000 been developed to transfer all current transit returnees in 21 villages, while the centre residents within a two-month period Lokomassama Chiefdom in the north starting on 15 August 2001. accommodates 15,600 returnees in 31 villages. The current capacity of established Among the boat arrivals, some 3,200 settlements and identified host communities returnees to safe areas, who were in need of is 46,000 persons. UNHCR is aiming to assistance, were given one-time assistance of expand the total capacity to reach 100,000 transportation and non-food items by the end of the year. comprising a kitchen set, blanket, jerry can, mat, tarpaulin, lamp and soap. The lack of Assistance given in the settlements includes infrastructure and basic services in safe parts the distribution of non-food items and tools of the country has sometimes led these to individuals, in addition to the returnees to settle in the IDP camps. establishment of basic facilities such as Reintegration activities have been rather water supply and medical services. In the limited, as efforts have focused on providing host communities, community-based emergency assistance to those unable to assistance, such as the rehabilitation of return to their places of origin. In the schools and health centres, has been Pujehun district, Quick Impact Projects provided and is expected to encourage a (QIPs) for rehabilitation of schools and harmonious relationship between returnees health centres, road repairs, skills training, and host populations. Once nutrition surveys agricultural activities and fisheries are being indicate an acceptable level of self- implemented, benefiting 1,800 families. sufficiency, assistance to returnees in the Micro-finance schemes for 460 returnees host communities will be reduced. Although and locals have commenced in four districts. the host communities are the preferred In the Kambia district, an initial temporary solution over the camps as they reintegration needs assessment has taken allow for greater self-reliance, UNHCR has place following positive political opted for a dual approach in order to cope developments there. UNHCR also covered with the rapid influx. The settlements are the costs of 15 staff, vehicles and office constructed with a view to laying the equipment to the National Commission for foundation for new communities which Reconstruction, Resettlement and could eventually become self-sufficient. Rehabilitation. The transfer of returnees from transit centres In order to mitigate the impact of large to the settlements and host communities has population movements on the environment, often proven difficult. Returnees in the a specialist NGO partner is implementing UNHCR Mid-Year Progress Report 2001 - 112 projects in the areas of environmental impediments to UNHCR’s activities have education and awareness-raising; included delays in the identification and community tree planting and nurseries government approval of suitable sites in safe development, promotion of fuel-efficient areas and the lack of agencies responsible ‘eco-stove’ manufacturing, and marking and for the development of mid- and long-term protection of trees in the camps and water sources in the returnee settlements. construction sites. These activities are to be Since the beginning of the rainy season in expanded during the remainder of the year. May, road conditions have deteriorated, hampering relief and reintegration efforts. The security situation, especially in the An overall freeze on the creation of new RUF- held areas, has been a major constraint posts has had an impact on UNHCR’s as most returnees could not go back to their capacity to fully support and monitor the places of origin, and monitoring could only operation. be carried out with military escorts. Other Progress as measured against selected indicators INDICATORS PROGRESS Accurate information provided to refugees on the Access for gathering information could not be prevailing conditions in their areas of return. secured in the main areas of return except in Pujehun and more recently in Kambia. Information was provided to refugees on the prevailing situation in Sierra Leone as a whole and the nature of the assistance provided by UNHCR. 100,000 refugees repatriated in conditions of safety The situation in Sierra Leone did not allow UNHCR and dignity in the year 2001. to actively promote the return of Sierra Leonean refugees, but the situation in Guinea led UNHCR in Sierra Leone to receive and provide assistance to some 54,000 returnees who had been arriving since September 2000. Returnees whose places of origin are still unsafe are Some 38,000 returnees unable to return to their provided with adequate assistance. places of origin were accommodated in settlements or host communities and provided with care and maintenance assistance. Liberian Refugees operation with