LIBERIA: INSIDE VIEW FROM AN NGO
The secondary source of this material is Rualink,
via a letter from Clare Walters, propaganda person for the Sean Devereaux
Children's Fund (readers will recall the story of Sean Devereaux, Salesian Past
Pupil, killed some years ago in Africa while working as a Volunteer). The
primary source is a Fund worker in Monrovia.
MONROVIA: August -- "....More ECOMIL troops
arrived yesterday at the Roberts International Airport. More expected to
arrive today. They have not yet deployed on the city and its
suburbs. National and International Journalists entered the
rebel-controlled area in Bushrod Island where the Free Port of Monrovia is
situated. This port housed World Food Programme Warehouses and National
and International NGO's relif items. NGOs have no access to the port at
the moment. The rebel heads made a
policy stament to the US Ambassador and to Ecomil Field
Commander that they are in the position to turn over their control areas to the
peacekeepers. According to the journalists, the civilians that are trapped in
the rebel controlled areas are well taken care of with food and security.Unlike
those in the Government
controlled areas who are without food, medicine, safe
drinking water. No petrol (gasoline) in the city, and as a result you see people
trekking from one point to another in search of their relatives, friends, food,
and their children.
The presence of Ecomil in Liberia has brought
high spirits to the children and also to the combatants. The belligerent forces,
both Government and rebel forces met two days ago and embraced each other in
high spirits on the bridge linking central Monrovia to Bushrod Island. In
this high mood, the combatants were able to identify relatives and friends on
both sides. As a result, they started sharing tears, exchanging clothing, food
and cigarettes as the sign of a cease fire and ending the war.
350,000
women and children have been declared as war weary, destitute and depressed war
victims. According to a health report, there are about 10,000 injured
persons
in Liberia as the result of this latest war. There is an outbreak of
cholera, diarrhea, malaria and other diseases in the various
camps/compounds where
thousands of people are seeking refuge. The root causes
of the diseases are the lack of safe drinking water, limited supply of pit
latrines and an acute shortage of food, medicine and nutritional diets. There is
pandemic increase of mosquito according to health and world news, and an
estimated 2000 people have died from this in
the recent war.."
