SIERRA LEONE* (11 September)
Crop prospects are uncertain after below normal rains and extended dry spells in July which affected crop development in some areas. This situation may reverse the optimistic crop prospects that had been reported earlier as a result of the improved security situation combined with increased plantings by returning refugees and displaced farmers.
The food supply situation is still satisfactory thanks to last year’s larger harvest. The humanitarian situation in the country has also improved significantly following the end of the civil war. In 2002, over 100 000 Sierra Leonean refugees and 124 000 IDPs returned to their home areas. However, civil strife in Liberia has caused tens of thousands of Liberians to cross into the country.