RECONCILIATION AND REFUGEES: A DIFFICULT EQUATION FOR CÔTE D’IVOIRE

RECONCILIATION AND REFUGEES:  A DIFFICULT EQUATION FOR CÔTE D’IVOIRE

(Reissued as received –- delayed in transmission.)

ABIDJAN, 2 June, (OCHA) -- As the south-western border town of Tabou struggles to get back on its feet after eight months of debilitating conflict in Côte d’Ivoire, it now faces yet another challenge:  a new, massive influx of refugees from Liberia.  Over 15,000 refugees have flooded the coastal town and surrounding villages since the MODEL rebel group began its push south to the port town of Harper in south-eastern Liberia in mid-May.  In addition to the refugees, the area is hosting several thousand internally displaced people. 

“This is the third time I have been forced to come here in the last 10 years”, said a 72-year old Liberian man, who is sheltered in an overcrowded transit centre in Tabou.

Refugees continued to arrive by the hundreds this weekend, hiring dugout canoes to cross the swift-flowing Cavally River to safety in Côte d’Ivoire, loading them with what personal possessions they were able to carry as they fled through the bush.  They said that heavy fighting on Thursday, 29 May, between the forces of Liberian President Charles Taylor and the rebels in the village of Pleebo had forced them from their homes. 

Many residents of Tabou harbour some animosity towards the refugees, because of their perceived involvement in the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire.  Panos Moumtzis, Head of the operations of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Côte d’Ivoire told the local authorities and community groups during a visit to Tabou on Friday, 30 May, “You are living in a difficult situation, close to the frontline, and under a lot of pressure during this period of national reconciliation.  Despite this you are taking a positive approach, and recognizing the right of innocent civilians to flee this latest violence in Liberia.  This is the hospitality and tolerance for which Côte d’Ivoire has been renowned for years”.

Tabou, which receives a supply of only 30 minutes of water and electricity each day, has seen its population skyrocket due to the Ivorian conflict and the Liberian war next door.  Border villages, overflowing with refugees, suffer from a lack of potable water, health services, food, shelter and protection.

To respond to the influx of refugees and ease tensions created among ethnic groups in the area that have been exacerbated by the crisis, United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations will continue to provide aid to both refugees and local communities.

For further information, please contact:  Jeff Brez, Information Officer Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Abidjan); tel.: +225-2240-5174 / +225-07-692124/; e-mail:  jeff@ocha.ci.

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