On 5 June 2003 the Liberian civil war made its dramatic entry into
the capital city of Monrovia. For a week street battles raged and
the whole city was plunged into pandemonium. After the retreat of
the dissidents calm seemed to return, but then on 24 June there was
a renewed, more intensive attack which resulted in extensive destruction
of infrastructure and human life. After some days of relative calm
a third attack on the capital occurred last weekend. Since then fighting
continues unabated.
The situation in Monrovia is desperate. People are moving from place
to place seeking a haven from the fighting. They are crowded in stadiums,
schools, churches and abandoned buildings. The situation is so chaotic
and the looting so rampant that relief assistance cannot be delivered
as relief workers are not able to move around the city. The latest
battles have forced even more people to flee. It is estimated that
at least 300,000 persons have been displaced in the last three months.
The ACT Coordinating Office has kept in contact with the members
in the field and is doing its best to keep the Alliance informed.
It is also following the advocacy and accompaniment efforts of the
World Council of Churches (WCC), the National Council of Churches
of Christ in the USA (NCCCUSA) and the All Africa Conference of Churches
(AACC) to the Liberian Churches.
At the beginning of July, when an apparent cease fire was reached,
the ACT Coordinating Office released a Rapid Response Fund (RRF) of
U$50,000 to respond to the most urgent needs of the people affected
by the fighting in June. At the same time members in Liberia were
advise to revise the current appeal. However, as the situation continues
to be so volatile, the ACT Coordinating Office considers that a revision
is not timely as it is still very difficult to foresee the extent
of the current crisis.
Therefore, in order to support the efforts of the members in the
field in responding to this overwhelming crisis the ACT Coordinating
Office is requesting the Alliance:
- To provide further support to the current appeal. So far only
51% of the target has been covered
- To authorize members in the field to use the available resources,
already received for the current appeal, to respond to this crisis
A revision of the appeal will be issued as soon as the situation
allows a proper assessment of the new needs.
