Côte d'Ivoire: One year since election violence, special rapporteur describes IDP situation as "dire"
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 8 August 2012 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Côte d'Ivoire: One year since election violence, special rapporteur describes IDP situation as "dire", 8 August 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/50387f4b8995.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| 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. |
At the end of a recent nine-day visit to Côte d'Ivoire, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Chaloka Beyani, confirmed that "while IDPs are no longer visible in camps, their needs as well as those of their host communities continue to be dire." He reported that some IDPs have resorted to living in precarious slums in Abidjan, where they are at risk of eviction while others in the country's volatile west tend to hide in the forest at night due to fears of attacks.
The Special Rapporteur's visit to the west took place just days after an armed attack on the Nahibly IDP camp, near Duékoué, where 5,000 people who had already been displaced from their homes were forced to flee once more.
Acknowledging efforts made in ensuring that IDPs could return home voluntarily, the Special Rapporteur nonetheless urged the government to adopt a "principled, transparent and action-oriented approach" to protecting IDPs. As well as rebuilding livelihoods and land reform processes, this would include measures which "explicitly take into account the situation of IDPs, promote local ownership of solutions and involve civil society". He also noted security and legal justice as "critical" issues that needed addressing. The country's truth and reconciliation commission, which was set up nearly a year ago in an effort to forge national unity, is reportedly struggling to function due to lack of funding.
