Ivory Coast crisis

Refugees from Ivory Coast walk with their belongings through Grand Gedeh county in eastern Liberia. [Photo: REUTERS/STR New, courtesy of alertnet.org]

Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced by the political crisis in Ivory Coast. Oxfam is there.

Situation

Oxfam's response

On the ground

More than 300,000 people remain displaced from their homes in the Ivory Coast and in neighbouring Liberia after fleeing the threat of violence following November's disputed election results.

Audio slideshow: stories from Ivory Coast
Just back from Ivory Coast, Oxfam's Caroline Gluck reflects on the crisis.
Stories from Ivory Coast audio slideshow

The large influx of refugees into Liberia has put a severe strain on poor villages, forcing camps and transit centres to be set up, mainly in Nimba county in eastern Liberia and further south along the Ivory Coast-Liberia border. Food is a particular concern in these areas where resources are running low.

In Ivory Coast, reports suggest that in many areas the last harvest was significantly disrupted by the conflict, while many of those returning may have missed the opportunity to plant crops for the coming year.

The crisis is far from over. There is an urgent need to improve the conditions of displaced people in Liberia and Ivory Coast, and to support those returning home to rebuild their lives.

Philippine Conraud, Oxfam’s Regional Humanitarian Coordinator

Ivory Coast Crisis: Oxfam's response

Oxfam has launched a response aiming to provide life-saving water, sanitation and food to more than 100,000 people in western Ivory Coast, one of the worst hit areas of the conflict. We are also working in Liberia’s Grand Gedeh and Maryland regions, where over 80,000 refugees are residing.

In Liberia, we are busy providing sanitation and water facilities in transit sites and camps for refugees. We are also targeting several villages with supplies of seeds (okra, sweet potato, rice, aubergine, and chillis), tools, and food to help them recuperate from the support they gave to refugees.

Photo gallery: Ivory Coast crisis

In the Ivory Coast itself, our programme is underway in Duekoue and Guiglo, both in sites where homeless people have congregated, and in villages where people are returning to.

Work includes cleaning out houses and public areas, mapping the whereabouts and condition of wells, and preparing a voucher distribution programme identifying beneficiaries and suitable traders to provide the goods people need.