20110326
International Organization for Migration (Geneva)

With conflict between rival forces now having reached the western town Guiglo in Cote d'Ivoire, accompanied by further violence and looting, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has learnt that close to 4,000 people have sought refuge in a former camp for the internally displaced managed by IOM until its closure in 2008.

The displaced, mainly Burkinabés, but also Maliens, Guineans, Baoulé and Sénoupho Ivoirians as well, are at the site without shelter, food, water or access to health facilities. With the rainy season now starting, the lack of adequate shelter is particularly worrying.

"The conflict now makes it impossible to access this group of people and provide them with the help they need at what is now a largely empty site with very few hard structures on it. It is deeply frustrating that we cannot reach them to assist them," says Jacques Seurt, IOM Emergency Coordinator in Cote d'Ivoire.

Peacekeeping forces from the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) have been sent to protect the camp after IOM made an urgent appeal for the displaced to be given protection.

IOM had also raised concern about a group of 25 orphans in a centre in Guiglo in urgent need of relocation to Man.

The Organization had been providing the group with food and non-food assistance. However, with the situation in the town highly dangerous and with the deaths of two children this week from malaria as fighting and roadblocks prevented doctors and medicines reaching them, relocation has been a priority. Today, security conditions permitting and with the support of UNICEF, the orphans will be relocated to Man.

Tension as well as violence also continues to grow in the country's main city, Abidjan. Despite the situation making greatly hindering efforts to gauge the true extent of internal displacement in the city, IOM and UNHCR currently estimate that more than 19,000 people are displaced in churches, schools and other buildings in Abidjan with another 60,000 staying with host families.
The escalation in violence in the city has led to an exodus of its inhabitants from Abidjan to villages and towns outside.

Transport is now difficult to find. An on-going IOM evacuation of Mauritanian migrants from Abidjan has been affected by the lack of available buses.

The Organization is examining all possibilities for the evacuation of stranded migrants as a result, especially as IOM has been asked to return at least 35,000 Guineans, Malians, Senegalese, Burkinabés and Mauritanians with more requests for assistance coming in. However, funding is urgently required to ensure that the evacuation of stranded migrants from Cote d'Ivoire can continue. IOM has 1,200 Mauritanians ready to leave immediately.

Meanwhile, growing numbers of Ivoirians and migrants are now also fleeing into Ghana. Of the nearly 2,000 Ivoirian refugees who have crossed into Ghana, more than 1,400 arrived this week alone.

IOM staff at the Takoradi border crossing with Cote d'Ivoire say the reception and transit centre for migrants is heavily over-crowded. More than 800 people are currently there despite it having a capacity to host only 200-300 people. Many migrants as a result are being hosted in neighbouring communities.

The number of French-speaking migrants from Cote d'Ivoire wanting to transit through Ghana is also increasing. IOM staff say they prefer to head for Togo for linguistic reasons. Among them, a growing number of Guinean migrants from Cote d'Ivoire who want to return home and who need assistance to do so.

Boakai Fofana/allafrica.com

One refugee family in Liberia sits beside their shelter.

As well as assisting migrants to return home, IOM in Ghana is transporting all those crossing the border to the reception centre as well as then taking Ivoirian refugees to a UNHCR refugee camp.

Staff say the majority of migrants arriving in Ghana do not have documents and embassies are at least a day's drive away in Accra. Further complications are arising with some nationals not having any government representation in Accra that could facilitate the issuing of emergency travel documents.

With the situation in Cote d'Ivoire worsening on a daily basis and with more people now expected to cross into Ghana, IOM is beefing up its presence at the border with additional operational and health staff.