Flight from Liberia

Briefing notes

Flight from Liberia

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Kris Janowski – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

1 March 2002

More than 10,000 Liberian refugees have arrived in Sierra Leone since February 8, fleeing renewed fighting in Liberia. UNHCR has been relocating the new arrivals from the border town of Jendema to camps further inside Sierra Leone. So far, 2,029 refugees have been relocated, and convoys continue daily.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leonean refugees continue to return from Liberia on their own and aboard UNHCR convoys from the Sinje camps and camps around Monrovia. Over 3,200 have returned on convoys, while another 1,000 have come back to Sierra Leone on their own.

In all, more than 6,300 refugees and returnees have been relocated from the border area to camps, settlement sites or their home areas inside Sierra Leone. To help ease the pressures on Jendema town, we are stepping up relocation convoys from Jendema, alternating between return convoys from Monrovia and relocation movements due to the limited trucking capacity available on the ground.