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ACT Alert
Liberia
- 1/01
Renewed
Fighting in Lofa County sends over 5,000 people on the Move
Geneva,
11 December, 2001
On Friday 7 December 2001 ACT member, Lutheran World Service -
Liberia Program reported that fighting had broken out on 23 November
2001 in Fassama (100km north of Bopolu) between government forces
and a dissident faction belonging to the Liberia United for Reconstruction
and Democracy (LUIRD). About 2,000 people, mostly women and children
are reported to have made the 100 km journey to Bopolu in search of
security, food, and other humanitarian support. While LWF/WS was preparing
to assist the newly arrived in Bopolu, internally displaced people
(IDPs) started fleeing the camp at Bopolu after claiming that they
had heard heavy gun fire coming from North of Bopolu, in the town
of Gaingbai.
It is estimated right now that over 5,000 people are moving south
of Bopolu towards the Tubmanburg area and Northeast of Bopolu towards
lower Bong County. The movement of the IDPs from Bopolu continued
throughout Friday and part of Saturday (7 – 8 December) and it has
been reported that the camp is now completely deserted. LWF/WS was
the last NGO to evacuate the camp at midday, Saturday, 8 December.
Other NGOs that evacuated the camp included ICRC, AFC and Save the
Children, UK. The people on the move are in total panic and these
are mostly women and children who claim to have lost most what little
they possessed.
LWF/WS is monitoring the movement of the IDPs towards Tubmanburg
and to Bong Mines in the Lower Bong County and at the same time trying
to locate potential sites for establishing new camps. In order to
do this, and assist the IDPs, LWF/WS are appealing for emergency funding.
As a new appeal for 2002 is under preparation, the agency has requested
for a Rapid Response Fund for immediate assistance to the affected
people.
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