Global Overview 2014: people internally displaced by conflict and violence - Liberia
Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
Publication Date | 14 May 2014 |
Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Global Overview 2014: people internally displaced by conflict and violence - Liberia, 14 May 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5374747db.html [accessed 16 October 2022] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Number of IDPs | Up to 23,000 |
Percentage of total population | About 0.2% |
Start of displacement situation | 1989 |
Peak number of IDPs (year) | 500,000 (2003) |
New displacement in 2013 | 10,000 |
Causes of displacement | ✓ Armed conflict ✓ Generalised violence ✓ Human rights violations |
Human development index | 174 |
Kampala Convention | Signed |
Liberia's civil war forced some 500,000 people to flee their homes between 1989 and 2003. Many fled to the capital Monrovia, where they sought refuge in makeshift settlements on public land, in camps or with host families. Most of those able to return had done so by 2011, and the government considers the country's displacement situation resolved. With no tracking system in place, however, it is unclear how many are still to achieve a durable solution.
IDPs living in settlements on public land have become increasingly vulnerable to forced eviction under the government's infrastructure development and crime reduction strategy. Thousands of homes have been destroyed over the years, and at least 10,000 people were displaced with no compensation in 2013 alone. Many of those left homeless were believed to be IDPs forced into secondary displacement.
Many returning IDPs have faced challenges in terms of tenure security as result of lost, destroyed or forged deeds. New legislation introduced in May sought to improve legal mechanisms in rural areas, but failed to address the issues of those living on urban public land with no ownership rights. Land concessions by local authorities to private investors have also undermined communities' property rights and their access to livelihoods, raising fears of forced displacement despite an executive order placing a moratorium on public land sale and transactions.
IDPs did not participate in the development of the country's peacebuilding roadmap or its Vision 2030 strategy, and it is still unclear whether they will be invited to take part in a constitutional review. Liberia is yet to ratify the Kampala Convention, but it demonstrated renewed commitment to doing so with the formation of a task force to domesticate its provisions.