HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE COULD WORSEN AS ETHNIC, POLITICAL VIOLENCE PREVENTS ACCESS

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE COULD WORSEN

AS ETHNIC, POLITICAL VIOLENCE PREVENTS ACCESS

NEW YORK, 19 November (OCHA) -- The humanitarian needs of the population of Côte d’Ivoire, especially in the west, north and buffer zones, outstrip the ability of humanitarian aid organizations, according to a recent report issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in that country.  Moreover, there is a fear that the humanitarian situation could worsen if the serious problems of protection are not addressed.

Although there have been positive developments during the period regarding a growing number of returning displaced people, the inter-ethnic and political conflicts in the country continue to impede efforts to address humanitarian needs.  October and November have seen numerous incidents of inter-ethnic violence, organized crime and political demonstrations.

Human rights violations are being reported from Gadougou district in the department of Gagnoa, where hundreds of non-native migrant farmers, some second and third generation immigrants, have been driven from their lands in inter-communal and ethnically motivated violence, with the local authorities largely unable to stop the aggression.  The violence has been particularly extreme in the village of Mahinadopa, in the Ouragahio region, where around 500 Burkinabés reportedly fled as their shacks and houses went up in flames.  Inter-agency missions have twice been prevented access to the area of concern by the Gagnoa Prefét on basis of procedural errors.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 70,000 refugees are registered in Côte d’Ivoire.  Of those, 67,400 are from Liberia.

An evaluation carried out in the central and western regions show that most of the displaced wish to return to their villages of origin (mostly villages in the west and some in Bouaké) as soon as security allows.  Displaced people continue to return to the town of Toulepleu, which was completely emptied and widely looted earlier this year.  However, ethnic tensions prevent some groups from returning in the northern part of Toulepleu.  Return to the Duékoué area is also slow.  So far, only an estimated 15 per cent of the population has returned.  More and more displaced from Bouaké are reported to be returning due to improved stability in the town and “fatigue” among the host communities from supporting the displaced continuously.

$3.5 million were required for programmes to protect civilians and promote human rights under the United Nations Consolidated Humanitarian Appeal for Côte d’Ivoire for 2003.  No funds were received.  This year’s Humanitarian Appeal for Côte d’Ivoire, launched yesterday by the Secretary-General, seeks some $9.4 million in funding for human rights and rule of law programmes.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA New York, tel.: 917 367 5126, mobile: 917 892 1679; or Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, tel.: 41 22 917 2653, mobile: 41 (0) 79 472 4570.

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