Rebels and the government reached a peace deal last month after the departure into exile of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, bringing an end to 14 years of nearly continuous war.
Immediately following that peace deal, UN relief efforts concentrated on the capital Monrovia but have now reached out to other areas of the country as these became more accessible, said spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs.
The initial $69-million dollar appeal covered requirements to the end of this year, and only half this sum had been raised, she said.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR meanwhile said it was preparing the possible return home by road of several thousand refugees from Sierra Leone still in Liberia.
A UNHCR team had examined the state of the road and found it in good condition from the capital Monrovia as far as the border with Sierra Leone, but requiring major repair work between the border and Zimmi in Sierra Leone, said a UNHCR spokesperson.
However arrangements were being made in Sierra Leone to receive the returning refugees especially at Zimmi where a well equipped reception centre with experienced staff awaited.
Some 14 000 Sierra Leone refugees are in Liberia awaiting repatriation, including some who fled fighting in their country as far back as the start of the war there in 1991. – Sapa-AFP.
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