LIBERIA* (1 October)
Following the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement on 18 August and the deployment of West African peacekeepers (known as the ECOMIL force), the humanitarian situation has started to improve in Monrovia, where hundreds of thousands of people have sought refuge in makeshift shelters after protracted fighting in Monrovia. The majority of the estimated 500 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been relocated in camps on the outskirts of Monrovia. A survey conducted by World Vision in late August in Monrovia indicated that nearly 40 percent of young children living in camps for IDPs suffer from malnutrition.
With the improvement of the security situation, WFP launched an extensive distribution programme targeting at least 240 000 people in areas outside Monrovia, including Buchanan, Wilson Corner, Jatondo, Totota, Salala and Fendell.