U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants World Refugee Survey 2005 - Liberia

Liberia

 

Refoulement/Asylum  There were no reports of refoulement. The Government recognized nearly 13,000 people who fled conflict in western Côte d'Ivoire in November as prima facie refugees. All but about 700 returned by April 2005. The 1993 Refugee Act (Refugee Act) called for the creation of an Asylum Committee to make individual refugee status determinations. Nevertheless, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) processed asylum applications, granting 11 cases.

The Refugee Act guaranteed the right to asylum and protection from nonrefoulement for refugees and asylum seekers, and expressly incorporated the provisions of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1969 African Refugee Convention. The Refugee Act also granted the right to appeal asylum decisions to an Appeal Committee and the Supreme Court.

Detention  There were no reports that the Government detained refugees for exercising their rights. The Refugee Act prohibited the prosecution of refugees for illegal entry or presence. The Refugee Act guaranteed all recognized refugees the right to an identity card. Only refugees registered in the camps received ration cards, which also functioned as a form of identification. Those living with Liberian host communities could request letters from UNHCR attesting to their refugee status. Liberia had virtually no functioning court system, and local authorities decided disputes.

Right to Earn a Livelihood  The Refugee Act granted refugees the same treatment accorded to foreign nationals with respect to the right to work and also exempted refugees from protectionist labor laws. The cost for work permits was about $150 and had to be renewed annually. During the year, the Government agreed to allow refugees living in the Monrovia region to integrate among Liberian communities and to work, to trade, to run businesses, and to farm but not to own property. UNHCR provided some urban refugees with training and credit for businesses. Many Ivorian refugees, living primarily in the northeast, farmed, fished, and worked on plantations in organized labor groups, frequently alongside Liberians.

Freedom of Movement and Residence  The Refugee Act authorized the Government to designate where refugees lived, but protected "the right of any refugee to live in any place of his choice...." In Monrovia, most refugees remained in camps near Monrovia and the northeast where aid was available. Armed groups harassed and extorted bribes from nationals and refugees, especially in areas still dominated by rebels. At border checkpoints, security or rebel forces occasionally detained refugees who did not have identification cards or letters of attestation.

Public Relief and Education  The Government granted refugees equal access to public schools and government healthcare facilities, the vast majority of which the civil conflict damaged or destroyed and were not yet functioning during the year. UNHCR provided support to enable refugees to conduct their own education. UN agencies continued to rebuild the country's education system, but did not pay for teacher salaries and other ongoing support. UNHCR stopped providing assistance to the local schools in Monrovia in June.

UNHCR housed most of the Ivorian refugees who arrived in November at a transit center in Butuo. UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) had difficulty aiding remote areas inaccessible by road. ICRC distributed basic supplies to 7,000 residents and returnees in Lofa. Aid agencies also provided health services to people in camps but poor sanitation led to disease.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)  About 464,000 people were displaced in Liberia more than 16 months after warring factions signed a peace agreement in August 2003. The fighting between Charles Taylor's government forces and the two main opposition groups, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) caused the greatest displacement in Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Montserrado Counties. About 260,000 registered IDPs lived in camps and 200,000 more were in squatter settlements or with friends and family.

The UN peacekeeping mission of 15,000 troops regained control of more than half the country by mid-August 2004, although LURD and MODEL still controlled many borders. The UN's demilitarization program disarmed about 100,000 former combatants by November.

In November riots killed at least 16 people in Monrovia. That month, the Government and UN agencies had begun returning 300,000 IDPs, principally from the camps around Monrovia but the riots forced them to suspend these efforts briefly. By that time, the National Security Assessment Committee for Resettlement declared eight of fifteen counties safe. By February 2005, about 100,000 IDPs returned spontaneously, and the UN had helped 30,000 more return. By March 2005, the Committee declared all counties safe.

The war had destroyed about 80 percent of all schools. Less than 10 percent of the population had access to health facilities. IDP camps lacked food and basic services. Assailants raped many girls and women and prostitution was widespread. Earlier in the year, donors pledged more than $540 million, but a UN special envoy warned mid-year that it was coming too slowly. In June, WFP reduced rations to 1,600 kilocalories, about two-thirds the normal level, due to a 30 percent funding shortfall.

Other Developments  Nearly 160,000 Liberian refugees repatriated on their own from Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. UNHCR assisted about 6,000 others. Those returning to Lofa County, which agencies expected to receive one-third of the returnees, desperately lacked shelter, healthcare, and food. Nevertheless, UNHCR expected 350,000 Liberian refugees to return home in 2005.


Copyright 2005, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

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