12/22/2004

Nora Boustany of the Washington Post writes that the U.N. said there was a global trend of declining support for humanitarian efforts around the world. She also notes that Refugees International charged that the UN offices were being inattentive to the needs of refugees from Ivory Coast who were crossing the border into Liberia.

Boustany reported on Refugees International's findings when she wrote,

"Also on Monday, the Washington-based organization Refugees International charged that the offices of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program were being inattentive to the needs of refugees from Ivory Coast who were crossing the border into Liberia.

"Thousands of people had been abandoned and "had not received any food in six weeks," the organization said in a report. Fidele Lumeya of the Refugee International staff called on U.N. agencies to promptly hand out food to save the refugees from starvation.

"The group's report said pregnant woman appeared anemic, nursing mothers were emaciated and young children were showing signs of malnutrition. "Let's give these people some comfort for Christmas," said Lumeya, who had traveled to eastern Liberia along the Ivorian border with Sarah Martin, who is also with Refugees International."

Read Refugees International's report on Ivory Coast refugees here.