Sporadic armed raids on western Ivorian towns bordering southeastern Liberia have compelled the United Nations to put an immediate halt to its repatriation to The Ivory Coast, of tens of thousands of the Ivorian refugees currently spread across southern and northern Liberia, the UN has confirmed.
The Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday that U.N. officials in Liberia announced that they had temporarily halted the repatriation of tens of thousands of refugees to The Ivory Coast because of continued unrest near the border between the two countries.
Robert Tibagwa of the U.N. refugee agency told AP on Tuesday that a convoy of people returning to Ivory Coast had to come back because of the security situation there. More than 200,000 Ivorians fled to Liberia in the wake of the country's post-election violence in 2010, and more than 64,000 are still in Liberia.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) yesterday expressed concern over security incidents in La Cote d’Ivoire that have stalled the voluntary return of Ivorian refugees---now still in Liberia---back to their home country bearing east of the contiguous (adjoining, bordering) Liberian/Ivorian land area.
A few days ago, a repatriation convoy that was en route to the Liberian-Ivorian border was forced to return to Solo Refugee Camp in Grand Gedeh County following reports of a security incident along the main return route to La Cote d’Ivoire, the UNHCR said in a statement issued yesterday in Monrovia. More than 400 individuals had registered to return on that convoy but a majority of them declined during final departure preparation.
Over the past three months, the UN refugee agency, in collaboration with the Liberia Refugee repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) had facilitated the voluntary repatriation of more than 5,500 Ivorian refugees compared to about 6,000 in 2011 and 2012. UNHCR estimates to repatriate 16,000 Ivorian refugees in 2013.
The Acting UNHCR Representative, Robert Tibagwa, said in view of security concerns, convoy movements from Grand Gedeh County have been put on hold while the process from Maryland and Nimba counties is being reviewed.
“Last year the repatriation exercise was interrupted following the killing of seven UN peacekeepers in June on the Ivorian side of the border. For this year, security concerns have once again interrupted the repatriation exercise. This is a serious setback,” said the Acting Representative, adding that voluntary repatriation will ultimately enable refugees to return and rebuild their lives while preventing a refugee situation.
Liberia currently hosts more than 64,000 biometrically registered Ivorian Refugees, most of which are living in camps. The refugees had informed various delegations, including the 15 members of the UN Security Council that visited Liberia last year, that there was a need for a comprehensive disarmament and stronger reconciliation efforts in La Cote d’Ivoire to encourage their return.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR, in collaboration with the LRRRC, is continuing the relocation of refugees from various border communities into camps. The relocation of refugees has been ongoing since 2011. The refugees are also being reminded through mass information sensitization campaigns about their rights and responsibilities, including respecting the laws of Liberia; also called to their attention was the issue of a refugee camp remaining a place of peace and protection.
Brief Background
The post election violence that erupted in The Ivory Coast following the November 28, 2010 presidential run-off triggered a mass Ivorian crossing into Liberia to escape the fighting in their homeland. The world’s largest cocoa producing nation has been torn apart since 2002 when a failed coup d’état led to armed rebellion. The country remained balkanized, with the New Forces rebels (now Republican Forces) controlling northern territories and the government of former president Laurent Gbagbo controlling the southern territories.
The little over 11,000 peacekeeping troops of the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) served as a major lifesaver when the armed rebellion first broke, by serving as a buffer between the rebel-held North and the government-controlled South, as a conflict containment strategy. National elections were postponed on numerous occasions, due principally to the failure of the rebels to disarm. However, in an attempt to reunite the country and foster development, Ivorians went to the polls last October to elect a new president. When no clear winner emerged from the first round, they returned to the ballot box on November 28; but the result of that run-off created additional turmoil in the nation.
Gbagbo refused to accept defeat and to cede power to the U.N. certified opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, the man internationally recognized as the winner of the election. He also questioned the credibility of actors in the process including the UN, France, AU and ECOWAS. The two claimants (Gbagbo and Ouattara) to the presidency swore themselves into office and, for four months, were acting as rival presidents at different locations in Abidjan, the Ivoirian capital. That created more hardship and humanitarian difficulties for millions of Ivoirians. The situation took a dramatic turn on April 11, 2011 when Gbagbo was captured by Ouattara fighters assisted by the French and UN forces, authorized by the UN Security Council.
The little over 11,000 peacekeeping troops of the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) served as a major lifesaver when the armed rebellion first broke, by serving as a buffer between the rebel-held North and the government-controlled South, as a conflict containment strategy. National elections were postponed on numerous occasions, due principally to the failure of the rebels to disarm. However, in an attempt to reunite the country and foster development, Ivorians went to the polls last October to elect a new president. When no clear winner emerged from the first round, they returned to the ballot box on November 28; but the result of that run-off created additional turmoil in the nation.
Gbagbo refused to accept defeat and to cede power to the U.N. certified opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, the man internationally recognized as the winner of the election. He also questioned the credibility of actors in the process including the UN, France, AU and ECOWAS. The two claimants (Gbagbo and Ouattara) to the presidency swore themselves into office and, for four months, were acting as rival presidents at different locations in Abidjan, the Ivoirian capital. That created more hardship and humanitarian difficulties for millions of Ivoirians. The situation took a dramatic turn on April 11, 2011 when Gbagbo was captured by Ouattara fighters assisted by the French and UN forces, authorized by the UN Security Council.
The Current Context
After the conflict, many fighters who supported ex-Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo fled into neighboring Liberia, where they are believed to have launched a series of deadly cross-border attacks.
Three such deadly cross-border raids were launched in March 2013 alone. Seven persons were reported killed in a March 13 attack on two towns in western Cote d’Ivoire. Both towns – Oulaitaibli and Tenhoun – are approximately an hour and the half away from Liberia’s Garley Town border (Grand Gedeh County, southeastern Liberia). In another armed attack launched on Petit Guiglo, western Cote d’Ivoire, two Ivorian soldiers were injured and at least two civilians were killed in attacks from rebels in western Ivory Coast, high-placed security sources in Cote d’Ivoire have said.
Also, one attack in June 2012 killed seven U.N. peacekeepers and 10 civilians. Rights group have accused Ivorian and Liberian rebels of stoking unrest last year.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has announced that it was reinforcing its patrols in The Ivory Coast and in neighboring Liberia in response to attacks from rebel forces. The U.N. mission in The Ivory Coast said it was coordinating with peacekeepers from Liberia on border reinforcements.
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