§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Minister of State. Department for International Development what assessment the Department has made of recent refugee movements in Liberia; what resources are available to them; and if he will make a statement. [116624]
§ Hilary BennOur information on refugee movements, as well as those of internally displaced citizens in Liberia derives from reports of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), in Monrovia. HMG does not have a permanent representation there. The reports, and those of other agencies, are generally available on the Relief website. Continuing war in Liberia has led to increased refugee flows into surrounding countries. Latest estimates from the UN (as at April 2003) indicate that some 225,000 Liberians were officially registered as refugees in neighbouring countries. This figure was swelled during the last week (to 28 May 2003), when more than 15,000 crossed the eastern border into Cote DIvoire.
DFIDS most recent commitment to the crisis in Liberia was in March 2003 in the form of a grant to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for £550,000 for humanitarian assistance and funding for MSF (Belgium) for health service provision for the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia and the outreach services that it provides for outlying areas. We have also made substantial contributions this year towards programmes of the UN High Commission for Refugees, the UN Childrens Fund and the ICRC in Guinea (£1.6 million), Sierra Leone (£1.4 million) and Cote DIvoire (£1 million).