FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report - March 1998:

SIERRA LEONE

CURRENT SITUATION

While the food supply situation in Freetown and the main cities is likely to improve, following the recent events in Sierra Leone, it might worsen in rural areas, notably in the north and the east. As the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) military forces now control Freetown and the main cities, the civil government has returned. The economic embargo in force since August 1997 might be lifted soon, allowing some improvement in the functioning of food markets as well as the flow of relief food supplies to the capital. In contrast, the resurgence of insecurity in rural areas could hamper preparations for the next rice crop in the coming months as well as agricultural rehabilitation activities, thus aggravating the already precarious food supply situation.

Since the implementation of the economic embargo in August 1997, very little humanitarian assistance has been provided to the country, despite UN-ECOWAS agreement on sanctions exemption mechanisms for such assistance. Also, due to restricted internal commercial activity and poor infrastructure, movement of available food supplies has been severely hampered with food prices rising to levels beyond the reach of large part of the population. If fighting spreads into the rural areas, which remained relatively calm during 1997, this will hamper performance of vital agricultural activities such as land preparation and planting of the rice crop, which normally starts in April. Heightened insecurity will also impede the distribution of inputs to farmers and possibly also lead to looting of cassava fields and rice or stocks on farms by the fighters. As a result, area planted and crop production may fall in 1998 if peace is not fully restored throughout the country. Since the security situation returns to normal in areas controlled by ECOWAS military forces, substantial agricultural inputs will have to be provided for the 1998 growing season.

FAO estimates Sierra Leone’s cereal import requirement for 1998 at about 260 000 tonnes. If peace is re-established and the embargo lifted soon, it is estimated that about 180 000 tonnes of cereals would be imported by local traders up to the end of 1998, leaving a food aid requirement of 80 000 tonnes. If these conditions cannot be rapidly implemented and humanitarian assistance remains restricted, the country could face a large scale food crisis. In early March, the United Nations launched a flash appeal for US$ 11.2 million to meet priority humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone over the next three months.