Côte d'Ivoire: UNHCR building camps for IDPs, while local communities take the strain
| Publisher | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 25 February 2011 |
| Cite as | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Côte d'Ivoire: UNHCR building camps for IDPs, while local communities take the strain, 25 February 2011, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4d6785832.html [accessed 20 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On 14 February, UNHCR started building a new camp for people displaced near the western town of Duékoué by violence following Côte d'Ivoire's political crisis. This camp is expected to shelter up to 6,000 IDPs, and relieve the overcrowded Catholic mission where the majority of IDPs have taken refuge. UNHCR is also looking for sites for additional camps. On 18 February, OCHA estimated the number of IDPs at 40,000.
A large number of IDPs have benefited from the generosity of local families and charities.In Danané, Binhouye and Zouan-Hounien districts, over 8,600 IDPs have been hosted by local families, some of whom have offered shelter to up to 25 IDPs while struggling to make ends meet. According to UNHCR, IDPs reported that they could not return because their homes had been burned down and their possessions looted. Physical and sexual violence against IDPs and their arbitrary detention by armed groups have also been reported.
According to the World Health Organisation, only 20 per cent of qualified health personnel have remained in place and five heath centres have been closed in the west. The districts of Adiake and Aboisso have experienced an outbreak of measles, according to UNICEF, as a direct consequence of the disruption of health services caused by the crisis. On 15 February, there was no evidence that IDPs had been affected by the measles outbreak.
See also: IDMC Côte d'Ivoire's country page
