U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

               BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
         OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

                    LIBERIA - Complex Emergency

Fact Sheet # 11                           April 25, 1996 1700 EDT


Background:  On April 6, 1996, fighting in Monrovia erupted
between two armed factions, Charles Taylor's National Patriotic
Front of Liberia (NPFL), and Roosevelt Johnson's wing of the
United Liberation Movement for Democracy in Liberia
(ULIMO-Krahn).  Other Krahn factions subsequently joined Johnson. 
The fighting came in the wake of scattered skirmishes that
followed the signing of the Abuja Accord, a comprehensive peace
agreement among leaders of the main warring factions in Liberia
on August 19, 1995.  The accord came after nearly six years of
civil war, in which more than 150,000 Liberians died, about
725,000 fled the country as refugees, and 800,000 became
internally displaced.

As a result of a cease-fire agreement brokered April 19 by the
Ghanaian envoy Captain Kojo Tshikata, troops from the Economic
Community of West African States' Military Observer Group
(ECOMOG)have begun to redeploy throughout Monrovia.  Although the
city seems to be calmer, sporadic looting and gunfire continue.
Since April 20 over 200 foreign national hostages have been
released from the Barclay Training Center (BTC), where
approximately 15,000 - 20,000 people have taken refuge since
April 6.  The BTC houses armed members of ULIMO-Krahn, and the
Armed Forces of Liberia, a contending faction, in addition to
Nigerian, Ghanaian, Sierra Leonian, and Liberian hostages.  All
are besieged by NPFL fighters. 

A White House press statement issued April 22 urged the faction
leaders to implement an effective cease-fire, end the siege at
the BTC, allow the free flow of humanitarian assistance, and
abide by the principles of the Abuja Accord.  The U.S. diplomatic
team led by Ambassador William Twaddell arrived in Monrovia on
April 22 and is conducting ongoing discussions.  The team is
discussing additional assistance to ECOMOG, such as equipment and
training, if ECOMOG can demonstrate a renewed capacity to play a
neutral and effective role.

Current Humanitarian Situation:  The fighting has displaced at
least 80,000 people, with 7,000 - 15,000 seeking shelter in the
Greystone compound of the U.S. Embassy.  Poor overall water
quality, inadequate sanitation, and lack of medicines continue to
present the most serious problems at the compound.   Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF)/Belgium has begun to dig a new well near
Greystone's polluted well, currently the only source of water on
the compound.  USAID/BHR/OFDA is pre-positioning equipment to pump
water from the well.

The World Food Program (WFP) delivered a total of 520 metric tons
(MT) of food to two displaced persons shelters on April 23 and 24
for a total of more than 911 MT of food delivered by WFP and the
U.S. Embassy in and around Monrovia since April 10.  WFP, along
with the Liberian Ministry of Health and local Liberian
non-government organizations (NGOs), has divided Monrovia into
zones of responsibility for food distribution. Food-for-work
programs have been set up for various projects, including those
who are burying the dead.  On April 19, almost 800 kilograms of
bulgur wheat was looted from a WFP warehouse at the port.  Port
security prevented a second attempted theft on April 20.  

USAID/BHR/OFDA's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)attended
a second NGO coordination meeting on April 25.  Other attendees
include:  agencies of the United Nations (U.N.), MSF/Belgium,
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and World Vision
Relief and Development (WVRD).  The DART also assessed conditions
at eight displaced persons camps north of Monrovia on April 25. 
The burning of Karmoh Town displaced camp on April 18 led to an
influx of displaced persons to the Voice of America (VOA) camp,
which now holds over 80,000 people.  The U.N. Department of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA) and the DART plan to meet with VOA
camp leaders on April 27 to set up food distributions in Karmoh
Town, encouraging displaced persons to return to Karmoh Town and
relieving overburdened conditions at VOA. 

U.S. Government (USG) FY 1996 Humanitarian Assistance:  
Total OFDA Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,788,657
Other USG Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $61,347,425

TOTAL USG FY 1996 Humanitarian Assistance  (to date)$65,136,082