A million refugees urgently need shelter, food and water
Ivory Coast: Testimonies from the refugees
More than 100,000 people have crossed the border from Ivory Coast to eastern Liberia, fleeing the threat of violence following November's disputed election results. The large influx is already putting a severe strain on poor villages, forcing camps and transit centers to be set up, mainly in Nimba county in eastern Liberia and further south along the Ivory Coast-Liberia border.
Oxfam has deployed humanitarian experts and is starting water and sanitation work. We also plan to help families hosting refugees to restock their diminished food supplies, by providing them with seeds and agricultural support.
We visited some of the camps along the border, and spoke to some of the refugees, to get an idea of what they were experiencing. They are naturally grateful for humanitarian aid, but identified five key areas to improve: poor and insufficient food (the biggest complaint), unclean latrines, a lack of medicines, no school, and tents that were cramped and leaked.
> More on Oxfam's humanitarian response to the Ivory Coast crisis
“If I was in the house that night, they would have killed me.” Philippe was a history teacher in Danané, western Cote d’Ivoire. Living in an area controlled by forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, he was an active supporter of Laurent Gbagbo. On the night Ouattara was declared winner of the second round of the election, he saw three men at his front door with machetes. He fled out the back immediately, leaving his family and village behind, and crossed the border to Liberia.
Colette, Alice and Yvonne fled Toulepleu as a group of 13 people three weeks ago with their 5 children. They say they lack enough food, soap to wash themselves, and cleaning materials. They say the food is no good for them, and has made their children’s stomachs run. “We fled and left everything. We don’t even have any other clothes, or shoes, or soap to wash ourselves… We would like you to send a doctor to look after the people here,” says Colette.
Richard is staying in a tent in Toe Town with around 20 of his family members, all of whom have fled Toulepleu 3-4 weeks ago. His main complaints about the conditions in the camp: cramped tents which leak in the rain, unclean latrines, the lack of a school, few medicines and, most importantly, poor and insufficient food. The latter is a common complaint among refugees who, unaccustomed to bulgar wheat, describe it as “chicken feed”. The ration size is also a key concern.
Mariame had come to Toe Town from Toulepleu with her two children. She had been separated from her husband, who she believes is currently in the bush trying to cross the border, taking an indirect route to avoid soldiers. She is unable to contact him, and her most immediate concern is to have the Red Cross help her contact her husband. She says if the war finishes, she will return to Cote d’Ivoire as soon as she can.
Catherine was in Toe Town Camp with her seven children, and angry about the food rations. The camp leader informed us that there were 814 people in the transit camp, but there had been 1449 a few days earlier. A number of people had been transported to host communities in the area. At the time, Caritas was providing shelter, Equip water and sanitation, and Wandep Liberia was having discussions with refugees to feed into UNHCR.
Bouin fled his home town when rebels loyal to Alassane Ouattara entered the town, fighting with forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, and killing civilians. He prefers not to speak about politics, or the divides between people in the camp – he says this should be the past, and the key thing is to find peace and avoid fighting each other. He is not content with the conditions in the camp. He suffers from high-blood pressure, but has been able to get some medicines from Medecins Sans Frontieres.
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