LONDON (AlertNet) - NGO representatives said they were struggling to help displaced people at risk from violence and cholera, but looting and insecurity made work in Monrovia dangerous, and access elsewhere virtually impossible.

Helen Palmer, press officer for aid organisation Oxfam International, told AlertNet that Liberian children had painted their bodies with white chalk and grassroots women's organisations had prayed for peace when a ceasefire was declared in mid-June.

A week later, fighting resumed in the capital Monrovia.

"There is an incredible desperation for peace from civil society," Palmer said.

Liberia has been plagued by two decades years of civil war and political instability, since a 1980 coup, which ended dominance in the country of freed former slaves resettled from the United States in the nineteenth century.

The slaves' descendants comprise about five percent of the population of the republic, which declared autonomy in 1847.

Charles Pitchford of Swiss-based Lutheran World Federation (LWF) told AlertNet: "There is a weariness and concern among the people because of peace agreements being broken so often.

"It's very difficult for the people to put their hopes in anything anyone says, because it's all been said before many times," he said.

A peace agreement signed an end to the civil war in 1995, eventually leading to the election of rebel leader Charles Taylor as president two years later.

Although the civil war ended, fighting began between Liberia and Guinea, which accused Taylor of backing armed rebels who launched attacks from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Liberia, in turn, said Guinea supported dissidents fighting government troops in northern Liberia.

The two countries signed an end to the war in 1999, but the fighting continued.

"People in Liberia are living through the worst suffering... (They) are absolutely terrified, living with uncertainty of when fighting will break out again," Palmer told AlertNet.

Comfort Eros, West Africa project director for thinkthank International Crisis Group, told AlertNet: "There are only a few agencies in Liberia.

ACCESS AND SECURITY

"Humanitarian assistance has dramatically reduced since sanctions were imposed on Liberia in May 2001 and as a consequence humanitarian assistance has been on the decline," Eros said.

She said that insecurity and access difficulties were the main hindrances to providing humanitarian aid.

Palmer estimated that over 80 percent of the country was inaccessible to humanitarian agencies.

Brendan Paddy, Save the Children UK's senior media officer for emergencies, told AlertNet: "We know there are urgent needs outside Monrovia, but sadly it's difficult for us to reach anywhere else at this point."

"LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy -- the main rebel group) is lurking just outside the city gates," he said.

Prior to the most recent round of fighting, Oxfam International had access to five counties. As the conflict intensified in the last few months and fewer areas were accessible, Palmer said Oxfam had focused mainly on Monrovia.

"We can have all the aid in the world piled up and waiting to be delivered, but we can't deliver it without peace," she said.

Pitchford said previously had access to 15 counties, but was now only able to work in four.

Pitchford said that conflicts in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast had not had a direct impact on aid work in Liberia, but the borders with neighbouring countries were closed because of fighting within the country.

"What's happening in Liberia has affected the ability of international aid agencies to reinforce resources from other aid agencies in countries such as Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast because we are unable to get the resources from the road across the border," he said.

"We don't have those alternatives anymore."

Even if supplies could be delivered, looting was a problem in the war zone, Palmer said.

"A lot of agencies have had their gear looted, but we've been quite lucky that our warehouse happened to be in a place that wasn't looted," she said.

Pitchford estimated that out of 27 international NGOs in Liberia, 11 had been looted recently.

'TOO DANGEROUS'

"There is some concern of where you warehouse, but LWF has their warehouse in the church compound rather than downtown, and we have not been looted in the last several months," he said.

Palmer said: "It is helpful that aid agencies are swapping and sharing their equipment to make sure they get what they need, but at times it is still a scramble."

LWF has evacuated many of its heads of missions due to safety concerns.

Similarly, Palmer said Oxfam International's teams were confined to the office in recent bouts of fighting. "Sending them out into open warfare was simply too dangerous," she said.

"Our staff were running for their lives, scattered all over the city, hiding and terrified when fighting broke out," she said.

"It is absolutely clear that we need stability, we need peace, to do our work."

Oxfam International takes the position that Liberia needs an international peace keeping force to protect civilians by enforcing a ceasefire, and to allow humanitarian aid to function.

Pitchford said "If we had an intervention force, at least the perception is that generally our problems will be solved."

He said the establishment of a peace-keeping intervention force would ensure that belligerent parties stay where they are, there would be safe corridors to provide humanitarian assistance, and people would be able to return to homes of origin.

Approximately 380,000 Liberians were uprooted at the end of 2002, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR).

USCR said at least 200,000 Liberians fled their homes during 2002, although some returned by the end of the year.

Pitchford said he thought the number of displaced people was much higher.

He estimated that 450,000 people were internally displaced in Liberia.

According to Pitchford, most of the displaced were from Lofa county, which borders on Sierra Leone and Guinea, northwest of Monrovia. This was the first point of entry for LURD rebels.

He said there had also been displacement in Bomi county, immediately to the west of Monrovia, and Bong county, on the northern border with Guinea.

THOUSANDS DISPLACED

LWF manages camps for internally displaced people, providing water and sanitation, distributing food and clothing, and providing shelter construction for especially vulnerable groups such as female heads of household.

LWF distributes food to almost 150,000 displaced people in Bong County, in partnership with the U.N. World Food Programme.

The organisation is also providing community services to refugees from Sierra Leone in camps in Liberia.

Palmer said that an unsteady truce had allowed Oxfam International teams to recommence assessments

"The teams have been trucking water to the main sports stadium in Monrovia, where tens of thousands of displaced people have congregated," she said.

Oxfam International built latrines and unblocked the stadium toilets, which had quickly become blocked, forcing people to use open ground.

Palmer said fuel for water trucks -- which are also being used to transport soap -- was in short supply.

"When you get that many people who have fled their homes camping out in the rough with nothing, the risk of diseases spreading is so great that it's vital that people have clean water and can wash their hands," she said.

According to Palmer, at least 300 cholera deaths had been reported in Monrovia.

Paddy said Save the Children was flying food, clothing and medical supplies -- including cholera kits -- to Monrovia.

Eros said disease from war-related injuries such as gun wounds was a problem.

However, Pitchford said: "Everybody on the ground will tell you that the thing wanted most is not food, medical supplies, or any of that, but an intervention force."