U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1998 - Cote d'Ivoire
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Date:
1 January 1998
CÔte d'Ivoire hosted more than 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 1997, including about 200,000 from Liberia, 1,000 from Sierra Leone, and 1,000 from other countries. A USCR site visit to CÔte d'Ivoire in late 1997 found that many Liberian refugees planned to repatriate, given Liberia's improved security and its peacefully concluded presidential election. Pre-1997 Events Liberians began fleeing to CÔte d'Ivoire following the outbreak of armed conflict in Liberia in late 1989. During the first half of the 1990s, some refugee families repatriated to Liberia and fled back to CÔte d'Ivoire several times as Liberia's violence diminished or intensified. Government policies were generally hospitable to the refugees and encouraged them to settle into towns, villages, and rural areas in the border region. Tens of thousands of Liberians reportedly migrated to urban centers such as the capital, Abidjan. Few refugees in CÔte d'Ivoire lived in typical refugee camps. Many struggled toward self-sufficiency through farming, establishing small businesses, or finding local employment. Liberian Refugees in 1997 In March, the Ivoirian government and UNHCR conducted a registration exercise for Liberians living in the refugee zone. The exercise registered more than 80,000 Liberian refugees in Danane Prefecture, in the northern border region, and more than 70,000 in Tabou Prefecture, in the southern border area. The government and UNHCR estimated that some 50,000 Liberian refugees lived in areas outside the refugee zone, bringing the total estimated Liberian refugee population in CÔte d'Ivoire to some 210,000. That was far lower than previous UNHCR estimates of about 350,000. Three factors explained the lower estimates, according to UNHCR and the Ivoirian government: spontaneous repatriation, fewer cases of fraudulent, multiple registration, and the movement of some refugees to urban areas, where they were not registered individually. Some observers speculated that refugees who feared possible forced repatriation may have chosen not to register their presence, masking the true size of the refugee population. Liberians in CÔte d'Ivoire's refugee zone generally lived in areas adjacent to their Liberian home counties. The ethnic make-up of refugee populations in the border region varied from north to south, with ethnic Gio Liberians primarily in the Danane area, in the north, ethnic Krahn Liberians along the central stretch of the border, near Guiglo, and ethnic Grebo Liberians farther south, in the region extending to the Atlantic Ocean. UNHCR postponed plans to issue identity cards to Liberian refugees in 1997. "[T]his project was overtaken by developments inside Liberia," UNHCR reported. In part because thousands of Liberians were moving back and forth across the Ivoirian-Liberian border, some to participate in Liberia's election, others to repatriate, UNHCR reported that it and the Ivoirian government agreed to postpone issuing the identity cards "until after the first wave of repatriation departures." Humanitarian Conditions UNHCR and WFP continued in 1997 to reduce the number of food-aid beneficiaries in CÔte d'Ivoire. A targeted feeding program effectively cut about one-third of the refugee population from regular food relief in 1996. Cutbacks in 1997 reduced the number of refugees receiving food assistance from about 150,000 in January to about 100,000 at year's end, UNHCR reported. The reduction primarily resulted from the March census, which showed a significant decrease in the number of refugees in the country. Refugees eligible for food assistance were defined by an Action Contre le Faim socio-economic survey. The survey used as its criteria the number of persons in each household engaged in income-generating activities, UNHCR reported. A school feeding program also benefitted some refugee children. Refugees living outside the official refugee zone were ineligible for material assistance, UNHCR reported. Repatriation to Liberia Although many refugees in CÔte d'Ivoire hoped that developments in Liberia would permit them to repatriate in 1997, most preferred to await the outcome of July's presidential election before committing themselves to repatriate. CÔte d'Ivoire, like other asylum countries in the region, did not permit Liberian refugees to vote in the election while on its soil. Some refugees returned on their own to Liberia, if only temporarily, to register and to vote, while UNHCR facilitated the repatriation of fewer than 300 refugees from CÔte d'Ivoire in the months prior to the election. A study by the Refugee Policy Group (RPG) estimated that 10 to 30 percent of eligible refugee voters in CÔte d'Ivoire actually voted, depending on region. RPG attributed the low voter participation to insufficient voter information, lack of food and shelter in Liberia, security concerns, and limited access to Liberia. In September, following Charles Taylor's peaceful installation as president of Liberia, UNHCR announced that it would promote repatriation to Liberia, despite the near total absence from Liberia's interior of UNHCR staff and offices. The role of ethnicity in Liberian politics influenced repatriation in 1997. The election of Charles Taylor to the Liberian presidency encouraged many ethic Gio and Grebo refugees to repatriate, while ethnic Krahn refugees were more cautious. When USCR visited the Danane area in September, USCR found that many refugees had in fact already repatriated. Some students in refugee schools reported that about half their classmates had returned to Liberia. USCR interviewed scores of refugees who said they were actively planning their return, often waiting only to harvest their crops or put their business affairs in order. In many families, adult males or elder sons had already returned to home areas to investigate security, reclaim land, and build rudimentary shelters. A majority of refugees interviewed by USCR in the Danane area reported that they or a family member had already made such reconnaissance visits. Impediments to return cited by refugees in the Danane area included the lack of shelter, schools, and medical facilities in Liberia. Although many refugees acknowledged that violence or banditry could recur in Liberia, few cited such threats as reason not to return. Farther south, in the Guiglo area, ethnic Krahn refugees had greater concerns about security. Most ethnic Krahn refugees interviewed by USCR nonetheless said that they would consider repatriating in early 1998, provided the Taylor government respected the human rights of Krahns and other groups whose members are perceived to oppose Taylor. Many ethnic Krahn refugees in CÔte d'Ivoire told USCR that they had already visited their home areas, mostly in devastated Grand Gedeh County. The ethnic Krahn refugees, like ethnic Gio refugees farther north, also cited the absence of shelter, schools, and medical facilities as the main impediments to repatriation. UNHCR assisted some 300 Liberian refugees to repatriate from CÔte d'Ivoire in December; during the full year, UNHCR assisted (or facilitated the return of) about 600. The agency said it was aware of "a large number of spontaneous returns" during the year, but noted that citing a realistic estimate for the number of such returns was impossible. Other Refugees and Asylum Seekers In addition to Liberians, CÔte d'Ivoire hosted about 2,000 other refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 1997. About half were from Sierra Leone. About 1,000 Sierra Leonean refugees were registered in the Danane area, in northwestern CÔte d'Ivoire. Nearly 1,000 other refugees and asylum seekers from various countries were also present, UNHCR reported. Many resided in Abidjan. At the end of 1997, CÔte d'Ivoire still lacked national legislation regulating the status of refugees. The government was reportedly drafting refugee legislation as the year ended. In practice, most asylum seekers approached UNHCR for a preliminary assessment of their refugee status. UNHCR referred applicants appearing to have valid refugee claims to the government's National Eligibility Commission.
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