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CNN Sunday Morning

Liberians Wait for Aid

Aired August 17, 2003 - 09:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to our top international story and the trickle of aid into Liberia. Thousands of people are waiting for what little aid has been able to make it into the newly-reopened port, but more is expected to arrive this week. Jeff Koinange joins us now from Monrovia with the latest from there -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN LAGOS BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Kyra. And those among the thousands waiting for that aid to arrive are right here at this stadium.

We've been reporting about this stadium for the last six, seven weeks or so, where first there were about 5,000 people. Today there's over 50,000. Count them, Kyra, 5-0 thousand.

You won't see them here right now because a lot of them have gone out to look for food. There's been no food distribution in this stadium now for about two months now. So a lot of the people have gone out actually looking for food. But if you look around at the stadium conditions, they are pathetic; deplorable at best, miserable at worst. In fact, we are just going to go down underneath the bleachers.

That's where we are right now, underneath the bleachers. This is where people make their homes. That's where they cook their food, that's where they sleep, right underneath the bleachers, because there's nowhere else to go.

They've been running from the countryside for so long, and this is where they've finally come to rest, to seek refuge, to seek some kind of shelter. Aid workers are going to have their work cut out for them, Kyra. Once that food aid arrives, they're going to have to bring it to the stadium, because a lot of people haven't eaten in many days. And you can see the children around here.

Diseases are rampant here at the displacement camps, everything from cholera to dysentery, malnutrition. It's all kicking in right now. Peace may be at hand, but the tough task of rebuilding a shattered nation will take a lot longer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeff, I'm looking at these live pictures and it's heart wrenching when you see it live. And you've been telling us about the humanitarian crisis there for years on end. So now, Charles Taylor is gone. A new leader in place.

It doesn't look like it's much better. What are these folks holding on to? Where does their faith lie? KOINANGE: You've got me there, Kyra. I don't know where they get their faith from, but these people have nothing else to hang on to. Remember, like you said, they've been fighting for more than a decade and a half. They are war weary.

Look at the children here. If we can just pan to this shot right here. Look at these kids.

These kids have been running, fleeing war for the last few months on end. This is the only place that they can call home. This stadium that sits about many 60,000 people, this is their home now. But their they're sleeping under the bleachers, they're sleeping inside the bathrooms. Some of them under the stars because it's so overcrowded out here.

Coming back to your question, don't know what they hang on to. But once they see the Marines on the ground -- you should have seen the scenes the other day. And there was only a couple of hundred Marines.

They feel that peace is at hand, that they're finally -- that their country is going to turn around slowly once the peacekeepers are in place. And a lot of them are in place. You can see patrols all over the capital, Monrovia. And almost every block is being patrolled by peacekeepers.

That's going to slowly happen if they can just get their political act together and the aid workers bring in those ships with the much needed humanitarian relief. And there will be a little more hope for these kids right here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Jeff, I think if anyone questions the U.S. involvement in Liberia, you look at the faces of those children and it puts it all into check for us.

KOINANGE: Absolutely. And again, people are always questioning the U.S. and saying why didn't they react sooner, why weren't they here before?

Look, they're here now. They're on the ground. They're patrolling the skies in their Cobra helicopter gun ships. There's a commitment right here.

Again, the numbers are few; just 200. But again, this is not Iraq. People here aren't out to get any peacekeepers. People are tired of fighting.

People just want to get their lives back together. They want the basics: food, water, shelter. That's all they're looking for, and a little peace of mind -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeff Koinange continuing to do an incredible job from Liberia there for us. Jeff, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Aired August 17, 2003 - 09:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to our top international story and the trickle of aid into Liberia. Thousands of people are waiting for what little aid has been able to make it into the newly-reopened port, but more is expected to arrive this week. Jeff Koinange joins us now from Monrovia with the latest from there -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN LAGOS BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Kyra. And those among the thousands waiting for that aid to arrive are right here at this stadium.

We've been reporting about this stadium for the last six, seven weeks or so, where first there were about 5,000 people. Today there's over 50,000. Count them, Kyra, 5-0 thousand.

You won't see them here right now because a lot of them have gone out to look for food. There's been no food distribution in this stadium now for about two months now. So a lot of the people have gone out actually looking for food. But if you look around at the stadium conditions, they are pathetic; deplorable at best, miserable at worst. In fact, we are just going to go down underneath the bleachers.

That's where we are right now, underneath the bleachers. This is where people make their homes. That's where they cook their food, that's where they sleep, right underneath the bleachers, because there's nowhere else to go.

They've been running from the countryside for so long, and this is where they've finally come to rest, to seek refuge, to seek some kind of shelter. Aid workers are going to have their work cut out for them, Kyra. Once that food aid arrives, they're going to have to bring it to the stadium, because a lot of people haven't eaten in many days. And you can see the children around here.

Diseases are rampant here at the displacement camps, everything from cholera to dysentery, malnutrition. It's all kicking in right now. Peace may be at hand, but the tough task of rebuilding a shattered nation will take a lot longer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeff, I'm looking at these live pictures and it's heart wrenching when you see it live. And you've been telling us about the humanitarian crisis there for years on end. So now, Charles Taylor is gone. A new leader in place.

It doesn't look like it's much better. What are these folks holding on to? Where does their faith lie? KOINANGE: You've got me there, Kyra. I don't know where they get their faith from, but these people have nothing else to hang on to. Remember, like you said, they've been fighting for more than a decade and a half. They are war weary.

Look at the children here. If we can just pan to this shot right here. Look at these kids.

These kids have been running, fleeing war for the last few months on end. This is the only place that they can call home. This stadium that sits about many 60,000 people, this is their home now. But their they're sleeping under the bleachers, they're sleeping inside the bathrooms. Some of them under the stars because it's so overcrowded out here.

Coming back to your question, don't know what they hang on to. But once they see the Marines on the ground -- you should have seen the scenes the other day. And there was only a couple of hundred Marines.

They feel that peace is at hand, that they're finally -- that their country is going to turn around slowly once the peacekeepers are in place. And a lot of them are in place. You can see patrols all over the capital, Monrovia. And almost every block is being patrolled by peacekeepers.

That's going to slowly happen if they can just get their political act together and the aid workers bring in those ships with the much needed humanitarian relief. And there will be a little more hope for these kids right here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Jeff, I think if anyone questions the U.S. involvement in Liberia, you look at the faces of those children and it puts it all into check for us.

KOINANGE: Absolutely. And again, people are always questioning the U.S. and saying why didn't they react sooner, why weren't they here before?

Look, they're here now. They're on the ground. They're patrolling the skies in their Cobra helicopter gun ships. There's a commitment right here.

Again, the numbers are few; just 200. But again, this is not Iraq. People here aren't out to get any peacekeepers. People are tired of fighting.

People just want to get their lives back together. They want the basics: food, water, shelter. That's all they're looking for, and a little peace of mind -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeff Koinange continuing to do an incredible job from Liberia there for us. Jeff, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com