Sir, - May we endorse fully Maurice Manning's proposal in the Seanad that Sierra Leone be made a priority country by the Irish government (Irish Times, June 16th). Sierra Leone is emerging from eight years of civil war which has resulted in thousands of people killed, over one million refugees, many hundreds maimed, and the devastation of much of the national infrastructure. As a priority country, Sierra Leone would receive more focused and continuous aid to assist the rehabilitation of the people and the country.
In Europe the Balkans war has overshadowed the events in West Africa, where the neighbouring countries have coped with the influx of refugees both from Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is estimated that over 1.2 million refugees have fled Sierra Leone, which equals the number of refugees from the Balkans. There are a few of these people here seeking refugee status, but to date they have been refused, and are appealing this decision.
A significant gesture at this stage would be to grant refugee status to the Sierra Leoneon asylum-seekers here and thus give them the right to work. There is an irony in the fact that private companies in Ireland are recruiting staff (not only Irish nationals) around the world and that asylum-seekers here are refused the right to work. - Yours, etc., Geraldine Horgan, Secretary to the Liberia/Sierra, Leone Solidarity Group,
Kiltale, Dunsany, Co Meath.