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GUINEA: Refugees moved farther inland

ABIDJAN , 8 August (IRIN) - At least 1,000 Liberian refugees living near Guinea's southern border have been moved to camps in Albadaria, in the centre of the country, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday.

A convoy of 12 trucks left the Tekoulo transit centre near Gueckedou, southern Guinea, on Monday, on a 180-km trip to two camps in Albadaria - Kountaya and Telikoro. The convoy was the third since relocation started last week under the auspices of UNHCR and the Guinean government.

The 1,126 Liberian refugees had been moved to camps occupied mostly by Sierra Leonean refugees, the agency said in a statement, adding that they were being accommodated temporarily at Albadaria.

The new arrivals fled fighting in northern Liberia and entered Guinea in early July, settling in the transit centre in Tekoulo, UNHCR said. The centre is close to the border with northern Liberia's Lofa county, scene of most of the fighting in recent years between pro- and anti-government Liberian forces. Humanitarian missions to the area were stopped for security reasons, it noted.

Until the Guinean government's recent go-ahead, UNHCR had had difficulty deciding where to shelter the newcomers as the two camps for Liberian refugees - Kouankan and Kola, near Nzerekore - were full. The Guinean authorities were also wary of possible infiltration of their territory by Liberian rebels, UNHCR said.

Nearly 24,000 new Liberian refugees have been transferred to Kouankan, Kola and a transit centre at Nonah, near the border with Liberia's Bong County, since the beginning of the year. The number of new arrivals could, however, double if the situation continued to deteriorate in Liberia and if the influx continued, UNHCR said.

In all, more than 80,000 Liberians have sought shelter in neighbouring countries since 2001, UNHCR said.
[ENDS]

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