ARC Expresses Sorrow Over Death of Staff Member in Guinea

American Refugee Committee
Tuesday, 12 December 2000

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) expresses deep sorrow over the death of one of its staff members during fighting in the West African country of Guinea. Faya Leno, 28, a Guinean security guard for ARC in the southwestern town of Gueckedou, was killed last week along with his wife, Mariam.

"Our hearts go out to Faya's family, friends and co-workers," ARC President Anthony Kozlowski said. "His death puts a human face on the growing humanitarian tragedy in West Africa, where regional conflict has further endangered some of the earth's most vulnerable people."

The latest fighting in Guinea has forced ARC to suspend its operations in Gueckedou, where it had been operating health and income-generation (small loan) projects for refugees from Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. "We remain deeply concerned about the fate of the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Guinea, who have once again seen their lives turned upside down by violence," Kozlowski said.

ARC is now providing emergency food to refugees who have gathered at the Sierra Leonean and Liberian embassies in Conakry, Guinea's capital, with funding from Ronald McDonald House Charities.It continues to assess the situation to determine how it can offer additional humanitarian aid to the new wave of displaced persons.

ARC previously suspended its operations in Gueckedou in September following an armed raid in the region that took the life of a United Nations staff member. However, it resumed its activities several weeks later when the security situation improved.

Attacks by armed groups in the region bordering Sierra Leone and Liberia resumed November 27 after a one-month lull in hostilities. The insecurity has led to a sharp cutback in humanitarian assistance within Guinea, which hosts nearly 500,000 Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees. The fighting has also displaced about 94,000 Guineans. The attacks are believed to come from Sierra Leonean rebels, Liberian combatants and dissident Guinean forces.

The bodies of Leno and his wife were found near an ARC guesthouse in Gueckedou on December 6 after a night of fighting. Seven ARC expatriate staff who had been based in the town of Kissidougou have been evacuated to Conakry, while 24 of the more than 100 local and refugee staff in Gueckedou and Kissidougou have moved to several secure locations. The whereabouts of the remaining staff are unknown.

For more information, or to contact American Refugee Committee, see their website at: www.archq.org