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Liberia

IDP return in Liberia - Update 8

1. Status of Return
As of 9th March 2005, some 73,839 IDPs have received assistance to return and reintegrate in their counties of origin. The IDPs were provided with the requisite return packages and assisted to go back home and re-start their lives.

2. Field Movements

The Humanitarian Community in Liberia continued to provide IDPs from the camps in Liberia with the opportunity to resettle back home in their counties of origin by providing them with the minimum humanitarian assistance that would help them to restart their lives. These movements commenced from 8th November 2004. These movements have been in various categories as reflected in the table below:

Figures & Categories
Type of Assistance
33,946
Facilitated
Provided with NFIs, transportation, cash grant for secondary transport.
36,651
Spontaneous
Returned spontaneously on their own, but were provided with food and non food items plus the secondary cash grant.
3,235
Montserrado
Provided secondary transport grant, food and non food items from Rick's and Jahtondo IDP camps.
73,839 Total number of IDPs assisted and therefore removed from WFP feeding logs.

3. Fendell

On 11th March, the official camp-based assistance to IDPs kicked off in Fendell with 562 family heads constituting 1,103 individuals receiving resettlement packages i.e. of two month's WFP food rations and UNHCR NFIs including transportation allowances to allow them to return to their counties. Many of these IDP are returning to Bong, Grand Bassa, Bomi, Gbarbolu and Grand Cape Mount counties. This exercise will continue until the whole caseload in the Fendell camp which currently is estimated at 8,000 IDPs is resettled. This activity will recommence on 12th March and will be extended to other camps such as Jahtondo, E.J. Yancy, Perry Town, and Siegbeh in the coming weeks.

4. Mass Information Campaign.

As part of the mass information campaign to the IDPs on policies regarding their movements, the Director of LRRRC who is the main interlocutor on all IDP related matters issued a press statement that was widely circulated in the media. The IDP Unit has now started the second phase of information campaign to sensitize them on these new procedures. This will involve all partners, UN agencies as well as the IDP leadership and will be pursued aggressively in the coming weeks.

5. Mission to Bong

Provision of assistance and resettlement packages will restart in Bong County this week. A mission from the NGOs, WFP, LRRRC and the IDP Unit will visit these camps from 14th of March to make necessarily preparations. Distributions of assistance packages should commence on 16th of March 2005.

6. Verification of prospective IDPs continues in Jahtondo camps

As of 12th March, 718 family head or 3,725 individuals were registered in Jahtondo to return to Montserrado, Gbarpolu and Lofa counties. Movement of this caseload will start on Thursday to Saturday the 18th of March.

7. Arrival of two international staff on loan from Norwegian Refugees Council through UNHCR.

Two staff members seconded to the IDP Implementation Unit through the UNHCR BO Monrovia, from the NRC, arrived last week to cover two critical areas in IDP return i.e. Protection and Field monitoring.

Office of the Humanitarian and Relief Coordinator
14th March 2005

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