U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

		BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
	OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

			LIBERIA - Complex Emergency


Fact Sheet #2      			  April 12, 1996 1900 EDT


Background:  On April 6, 1996, fighting in Monrovia erupted between two armed 
factions, Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), and 
Roosevelt Johnson's wing of the United Liberation Movement 
for Democracy in Liberia (ULIMO-Krahn).  Other Krahn factions subsequently 
joined Johnson.  Confined so far to the capital, the fighting comes in the 
wake of scattered skirmishes that followed the signing of the Abuja Accord, a 
comprehensive peace agreement among leaders of the main warring factions in 
Liberia on August 19, 1995.  The accord came after nearly six years of civil 
war, in which more than 150,000 Liberians died, about 725,000 fled the 
country as refugees, and 800,000 became internally displaced.

In six days of fighting,  the NPFL and ULIMO-Krahn have systematically looted 
and burned the city.  No regular air travel is possible in or out of 
Monrovia.  Many residents have fled the city.  All United Nations (UN)
agencies, international organizations (IO), and nongovernmental organizations 
(NGO) compounds have been looted.  There are no reliable estimates available 
of casualties.  U.S. military helicopters evacuated 
almost 1,000 Americans and foreigners since April 10. 

Current Humanitarian Situation:  With most humanitarian operations having 
ceased in Monrovia, a crisis looms.  The fighting has displaced at least 
100,000 people.  Comprehensive assessments of needs are  impossible
at present, given the collapse of order throughout the city.  

The main concern centers on the diminishing supply of food and water for 
embassy personnel and  10,000 - 20,000 civilians who have taken refuge in the 
Greystone compound of the U.S. Embassy.  Although Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) delivered a truckload of water several days ago, none 
has reached the Greystone compound since then. Commodities are available from 
the World Food Program (WFP), but fighting has
prevented delivery.  Poor sanitation poses the gravest danger. Approximately 
45,000 civilians and members of the Armed Forces of Liberia, an armed 
faction, are in the U.S. Barclay compound.  The presence of the armed 
fighters in the compound renders illegal the delivery of FFP Title II food 
commodities.  As of April 11, food
commodities in port warehouses were reportedly untouched, although tools from 
a Catholic Relief Services (CRS) warehouse were looted.

NGOs:  CRS has two expatriates in the UN compound awaiting evacuation.  Five 
CRS vehicles were stolen.

Save the Children/UK (SCF/UK) evacuated five of its seven expatriates working 
in Liberia.   Working with MSF, SCF/UK  is providing  medicines to a hospital 
run by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC).  Regular SCF/UK programs in Liberia are suspended.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reports that 19 of their staff of 35 have been 
evacuated.  MSF is caring for the wounded at the ICRC building and compound, 
and is providing food for 150 people there. 

World Vision reports that it expected the imminent departure of five 
remaining expatriates, including one American, from Monrovia.  

The Salesian Missions reports that two expatriate staff members were 
evacuated and at least four were staying in the Catholic hospital.

Lutheran World Relief reports that the country director, his wife, and two 
expatriates were at the Economic Community of West African States' Military 
Observer Group (ECOMOG)'s compound, awaiting evacuation.

Action International Contre la Faim (AICF) has six expatriates in their 
compound, who have requested refuge in the U.S. Embassy compound.

Africare has no expatriate staff in Liberia. 

The ICRC announced it would evacuate its expatriate staff.

U.S. Government (USG) Humanitarian Assistance FY 1996:  
Total OFDA Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . $3,729,948
Total FFP Assistance: 116,260 MT valued at . . . . . . . . . .$61,281,400