There's been some relief to Liberian capital, but rest of the country remains desperate.

Geneva, August 19, 2003 — The signing of the peace agreement yesterday (August 18), ending hostilities between Liberia's warring groups, has already seen an improvement in the humanitarian response.

The global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International's members reporting directly from the capital, Monrovia, say the situation is still tense with soldiers of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) not having been disarmed. Civilian residents continue to be intimidated, but the situation is easing daily with the presence of the West African peacekeeping force ECOMIL. Their vehicles are now routinely seen in various parts of the city, which is heightening a sense of confidence that peace might hold.

The most recent shipment of humanitarian relief items to Liberia by ACT members came from Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). The 100-ton shipment has been delivered to the Lutheran Church of Liberia compound. Lutheran World Federation-World Service (LWF-WS), one of the ACT members in Liberia had earlier, during the brief cease fire period in July distributed essential food items to almost 11,000 families and households. The most recent period of fighting saw many of these families displaced again, leaving them in desperate need of new humanitarian assistance. LWF-WS along with the other Liberian ACT members and partners (Liberia Council of Churches, United Methodist Committee on Relief, YMCA Liberia and Concerned Christian Community) will now start distributing rice and other commodities bought with the Rapid Response funds sent earlier by the ACT Coordinating Office. LWF-WS is also involved in the protection of female children from sexual exploitation. In the LWF-WS managed camps, a protection officer has now been employed to safeguard the interests of the children.

A team from NCA, which included a water and sanitation engineer, has visited deserted internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps outside of the capital to establish whether water purification units should be installed. Although IDPs from the camps have yet to return, people who had lived near the besieged port area and displaced by the recent fighting are now, slowly returning to reclaim their homes.

A Coordinated Assessment Team (CAT) which has started its mission, will work with the ACT members in Liberia to ensure a coordinated response to the humanitarian situation in the country.

However, tens of thousands of displaced in critical need continue to languish in the city waiting in anticipation for the NGO and UN community to assist them. Desperate for food, a massive crush of people had a few days ago rushed across the bridge, believing that food supplies had arrived.

Lutheran World Federation-World Service (LWF-WS) says access across the bridge into communities leading to the Po River region revealed widespread looting and wanton destruction.

But fuel has begun to flow again. LWF-WS was able to attain 5,000 gallons of fuel (nearly 19,000 liters) for its operations. As part of inter-agency cooperation, LWF-WS is supplying fuel to other NGOs until supplies can be fully replenished.

However, while Monrovia is beginning to feel more secure with more peacekeeping troops from Nigeria arriving and ECOMIL expanding the area under its control, outside the capital, the situation remains tense with tens of thousands of people desperately in need of humanitarian aid. Liberia's second largest city, Buchanan, in the south, is still under siege by the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL).

The challenges facing Liberia remain huge. ACT member Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), which was actively involved in the peace talks in Ghana, has sent a plea to the ACT alliance, asking them to galvanize humanitarian assistance and bring urgent relief to the people of Liberia who have suffered so much.

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.

Callie Long
Communications Officer
ACT International Coordinating Office