Her mission began in Guinea , which presently hosts more than 400,000 refugees from its two war-torn neighbors, Liberia and Sierra Leone. There, leaders told Mrs. Ogata that the country is feeling the strain of this hospitality. They said they worry about the damage caused to the environment and expressed concern about a rise in cross-border attacks on villages and refugee camps near the frontier with Sierra Leone. The High Commissioner traveled to Freetown, the Sierra Leonean capital which was overrun in January by Revolutionary United Front rebels and retaken by West African peace keeping troops only after several weeks of intense fighting. Mrs. Ogata visited dozens of victims of rebel mutilations in the capital s main hospital.
Liberian refugees continue to return home.
In contrast to Sierra Leonean exiles, who greeted the High Commissioner with loud chants for peace at home, Liberian refugees spoke more warily about return, concerned about finding jobs and rebuilding homes after as many as seven years in exile. She called attention to the need for international support for the reconstruction process, both through programs to help refugees when they have returned home, and initiatives to rehabilitate areas which have taken in refugees for years. The agency will continue reconstruction projects in Liberia itself for another six months. The number of Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and Liberia has remained largely unchanged despite the siege of Freetown in January. One of the most immediate concerns is to regain access throughout the country for humanitarian workers.