Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Conakry (Fides Service) - The UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks IRIN, a humanitarian news agency covering sub-Saharan Africa, eight countries in central Asia and Iraq, said in its March 1 report that thousands of Liberians living in camps in the forest regions of southern Guinea have no intention of returning home even though the war in their country has been over for two years now.
The refugees still have their eyes fixed on a notice near the camp entrance which suggests there may be still a chance of finding asylum in the United States. However donor countries, led by the United States, are thinking of suspending funds to a multimillion refugee support programme and stopping food distribution by 31 December 2006. Most of the people in Lainé camp left northern Liberia 1990 and fled to Côte d'Ivoire. Later, following the outbreak in that country of civil war, they were forced to move again, this time to Guinea.
The UN High Commission for Refugees said that within the end of this year when the funds have run out, 35,000 Liberian refugees living in five camps in northern Guinea will necessarily have to repatriate. Near the Liberian border, after 14 years of conflict, reconstruction has only just started. Over 2,000 refugees returned in January but the general situation is at a very complex stage especially in Lainé camp, the largest.
UN Agencies tend in general to play down the situation, drawing attention to past successes such as the completion of the disarmament programme undertaken by the UN which involved the demobilisation of over 100,000 former combatants and security established thanks to the presence in the country of 15,000 UN peacekeepers. At the same time to encourage repatriation in Guinea food distribution is being reduced this year. The truth is that the Liberians who refuse to go home are mainly Mande from the county of Nimba. In 1990 the Gio and Mano, also in the Nimba county, opposed the government which appeared to favour the Mandè. When Charles Taylor called a rebellion the Gio and Mano were the first to revolt whereas their Mande neighbours immediately fled the country. In towns and villages in the county of Nimba some homes which in the past belonged to the Mandingo are now in the hands of the people who put them to flight the Gio and the Mano. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/3/2006 righe 33 parole 418)
