The UK has been concerned by the unrest and political instability in Guinea arising from the general strike earlier this year, and has supported the efforts of ECOWAS and regional leaders in helping mediate during the crisis.
The situation has calmed with the lifting of martial law on 23 February, the ending of the strike, and the appointment of Lansana Kouyate as Prime Minister. We hope that he will soon appoint a new, broadly-based and consensus government which will work to move Guinea forward. But the recent crisis has brought the already devastated economy to a near standstill. It has severely affected the provision of health and other public services and the population's access to them. Food supplies have been disrupted, with the price of staples such as rice, flour, sugar and vegetables, as well as fuel, increasing sharply.
DFID is monitoring the humanitarian situation, and is in contact with international partners and agencies based in Guinea. In response to the crisis and the increased humanitarian risks, we have agreed to provide £350,000 through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to be focused on meeting urgent medical and nutritional needs, and to maintain preparedness in case of further civil unrest with humanitarian consequences.
DFID has also recently agreed to provide £270,000 to the World Food programme humanitarian air service for West Africa, which facilitates the movement of humanitarian personnel and urgently needed non-food items between Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The air service recently demonstrated its importance during the civil unrest in Guinea, allowing agencies to respond and facilitate security evacuations.