Christopher Black in Kissidougou
As internal conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia spilled into neighbouring Guinea in February, thousands of refugees were on the road again. Red Cross volunteers proved to be a critical link in a humanitarian chain transporting them away from Guinea's embattled borders to safer areas.
More than 100 Red Cross volunteers from Guéckédou and Kissidougou districts, many having had to flee the fighting themselves, have worked around the clock assisting the refugees.
But waiting for transfer can take days. In the transit camps of Nyaedou and Katkama, Red Cross workers take care of those most in need, help them board UNHCR buses and trucksand accompany the convoys to the new camp of Kountaya, 25km from Albadariah - located 130km from the original sites.
Sia Koffé, a Sierra Leonian refugee fled with some 70,000 others on foot into the bush after a serious attack on Gueckédou on 9 February, which is thought to have destroyed a third of the town. Exhausted, scared and traumatised by the shells and gunfire, she gave birth to Finda Koffe. Born at only seven months and without medical attention, little Finda is suprisingly strong - but in need of assistance. Red Cross counsellors at the Katkama camp helped mother and child move to the new camp the following day.
Some 450,000 people from Sierra Leone and Liberia have sought refuge in Guinea over the last ten years. In September, these refugees were on the move again as southern Guinea experienced incursions along the borders. To assist those trapped by the violence, the Guinean Red Cross, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation and other humanitarian agencies as well as Guinean authorities, are helping refugees to reach a safer area. The first convoy was moved inland from the makeshift camps at Guéckédou early this month.
Since then, more then 10,000 people have been transported to safer havens. In recent days many others have managed to make their own way out of the "parrots beak" area. Thousands of refugees have been stranded without assistance since the autumn in this triangular enclave situated between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Meanwhile, the Guinean Red Cross with support from the ICRC has also distributed food to over 53,000 persons displaced by the conflict.
Maria Bokaa, is mentally and physically drained. Her daughter recently died, and she has taken on the responsibility of loking after her two-year-old grandaughter Mariam. The two Sierra Leoneans travelled by foot for four days from Guahun to the Katkama transit camp where they have been waiting for two days.
At Katkama, volunteers try to provide some comfort by offering blankets and bars of soap to the most vulnerable refugees. Before they continue their journey, the elderly, pregnant women, female head of families, disabled people and unaccompanied minors are also offered shelter and care in a Red Cross tent.
"It is thanks to the strength and dedication of these volunteers that the Red Cross can ensure that suffering of the most vulnerable is minimised," says Andreas Vogt, Federation's social welfare delegate in Kissidougou.
Saa Papa Millimono, a volunteer social counsellor, responded to the call to assist because he feels that is the "best way he could be of use to those in need." Millimono is one of the 14 special counsellors that have been mobilized from the area on the convoy moving to the camp of Kountaya.
In Kountaya, the work never ceases. Volunteers are working 18 hours a day and they live in the camp themselves. After registration, they help the refugees to settle in. The new arrivals are often exhausted and disoriented. Red Cross teams help the refugees to adjust to the life in the camp by giving them information on how to avoid health problems by using clean water, and the importance of personal hygiene in camp conditions.
Kountaya is designed to house up to 30,000 people. Tents are grouped around a central area where there is a water point and a common place for cooking. The camp is located near a river which is the sole source of water for the refugees - both for cooking and washing.
The camp, now housing more then 10,000 people, expands daily with over 1,000 new arrivals. Guinean Red Cross volunteers have already distributed blankets, soap and used clothing donated by the Danish and Swiss Red Cross. And there is more to come.
"This is only the beginning of our assistance in this camp. The humanitarian needs of these people are immense. There is much work to be done here," says Dian Bah, coordinator of the Guinean Red Cross operation.
Related links
Guinea Appeal 2001
More news and reports from Guinea
Make a donation