Internally Displaced Persons – 2014
2014
The outbreak of Ebola in Guinea and Liberia affected voluntary returns facilitated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which had been suspended since March, affecting 42,000 refugees in Liberia and 6,500 refugees in Guinea. The resilience of communities in the border area was affected by the epidemic, owing to the restricted mobility of people and goods, the closure of markets and a ban on bush meat.1 “Although Cte dÕIvoire has not recorded any case of Ebola, as a neighbor of three affected countries, Cte dÕIvoire has put in place stringent measures to stop its spread. Ivorian refugees from affected countries are not able to return, and the livelihoods of border communities are increasingly at risk.”2
On 15 May, the western border town of Fété was attacked by a group of unidentified armed individuals, which resulted in the displacement of 3,500 community members. The Government and the UN responded by approving measures aimed at enhancing security in the western areas of the country, including increasing the presence of FRCI, launching programs to promote peace, social cohesion and security, and rehabilitating bridges. The population of the town, however, had not returned by December.3
Moreover, there remained “a serious lack of livelihood opportunities, housing and land for the displaced, who also faced considerable social marginalization.”4