Situation Calm, But Still Tense
May 26, 1997 -- Tension has settled over the West African country of Sierra Leone after a military
coup early Sunday morning toppled the recently elected Kabbah government.
CARE's Acting Country Director P.R. Chauhan reports that shooting and looting were heavy in the
capital of Freetown on Sunday and continued sporadically on Monday. The situation on Tuesday
was calm but still tense, and most of the general population has chosen to remain at home. Army
soldiers are the main presence on city streets, according to Chauhan. The situation up-country
remains calm.
World Food Programme and Catholic Relief Services food warehouses were looted after the coup,
however CARE offices and warehouses have not been threatened and all CARE staff are accounted
for and unharmed.
"We are closing our office through Wednesday as a precautionary measure, but we don't expect this
situation to be prolonged," Chauhan says. "We're watching the situation closely right now to see how
it unfolds, but to the extent possible CARE would like to continue its relief and development
programs in Sierra Leone."
CARE has worked in Sierra Leone since 1961. Recent activity has focused on providing aid to
people displaced by the country's five-year civil war, which ended in a peace accord in November
1996. Nearly one-third of Sierra Leone's 4.5 million people were left homeless by that war. CARE
has also just begun a Permanent Peace Project, which aims to integrate returning demobilized
soldiers into communities.
CARE also provides safe drinking water and sanitation systems in mostly rural and some urban areas
and supports projects that increase agricultural production.
Media representatives, please contact:
In U.S.:
Erin Burns/Rita Stone-Smith:
(404) 681-2552, ext. 117/250
AVAILABLE FOR PHONE INTEVIEWS
IN
SIERRA LEONE:
P.R. Chauhan:
(at home) 232-22-230227/ (office)
232-22-223985/223106
CARE<br>
151
Ellis Street NE
Atlanta,
GA 30303-2439
1-800-521-CARE,
ext. 999
info@care.org