CONAKRY. Feb I: More than 35.000 people fleeing fighting between government and rebels in Sierra Leone have crossed the border into neighbouring Guinea, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said here Tuesday, reports AFP.

Assane Samb said after returning from a visit to the border area that relief groups would have to act quickly to prevent the spread of cholera among the flood of refugees.

Already one jholera case has been Identified by the Guinean health services.

The figures for the number ■of refugees fleeing Sierra Leone "come from what we saw on site and facts provided by the authorities in Frecalah." and area some 100 kilometres south of Conakry. Samb said.

On Monday, the UNHCR estimated the numbers who had crossed tlie border at “more than 17.000.''

Gifinean health officials said Tuesday they were to start an emergency vaccination programme to try to prevent outbreaks of cholera and yellow fever.

Samb m Tuesday ehaired a meeting with representatives of the government, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the French medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontleres (doctors without borders).

The WFP has said it will send emergency food supplies for the refugees for a month.

Guinea already shelters some 500.000 refugees from fighting In Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In Sierra Leone, the rebel leader Foday Sankoh on Tuesday called for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to broker peace talks between his forces and the

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military government.

In a two-way radio communication with defence department officials. .the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader said the ICRC can open a corridor which will be used as a neutral zone for us jo talks peace."