LIBERIA* (20 February)
Continued armed clashes in and the lack of access to the most agriculturally productive areas and the mass displacement of people who were largely subsistence farmers have continued to adversely impact the food security in the country. Further, because commercial imports cannot cover the food needs of the country, most of the population, especially the chronically poor, will continue to live on some form of assistance including food aid for the foreseeable future. The lack of arable land for agriculture activities coupled with the unavailability of farm implements for the internally displaced minimize their chances of complementing food aid received and sustaining themselves.
As a result of the persistent armed clashes, some 184 000 internally displaced persons from the north, northwest, and central regions are living in camps in other parts of the country. However, thousands of displaced Liberians streamed into Sierra Leone, following an upsurge of hostilities between Liberian Government troops and rebels in early February. Moreover, the continuing instability in Côte d’Ivoire has prompted an increasing number of the estimated 60 000 Liberian refugees still caught in the fighting to seek immediate repatriation or evacuation to neighboring countries. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has reiterated a call to West African countries to provide asylum to Liberian refugees, whose protection is not guaranteed in Côte d’Ivoire or in their home country. WFP continued to provide regular assistance to some 117 600 people in the country.